Dining Services survey: A+
Students frequently complain about the food on campus, and it seems their voices have been heard.
University Services and Dining Services worked together to find out what students think of campus food. The survey, conducted at four town hall meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, asked for opinions on the food offered at the Oberholtzer Dining Hall and the Moody Towers Dining Hall, giving students an excellent opportunity to take their concerns directly to those who can do something about them.
Many said they would like to see healthier options and nutrition labels available. These are excellent suggestions, as students should be informed about the food they are eating and able to select an alternative if it does not meet their dietary needs.
The effort made by University Services and Dining Services is a great one, and we applaud the two for seeking input. We hope many of the recommendations are acted upon.
JuicyCampus ban: D
Tennessee State University banned the gossip Web Site JuicyCampus from its campus network, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Thursday, marking the first time the school blocked a site.
In an open letter to the university’s student newspaper, Vice President for Student Affairs Michael A. Freeman said "a JuicyCampus gossip blog does not fit with the legacy, spirit, and reputation of Tennessee State University," the Chronicle reported.
We’d like to think suppressing free speech doesn’t either.
The popular site plays host to a virtual goldmine of trash, with students posting inappropriate and often offensive things about their peers.
However, banning students from looking at it on campus will not change that, and, as Freeman acknowledged to the Chronicle, has actually led to increase in the number of students visiting the site.
While the posts are clearly deplorable, students will continue to make and read them regardless of whether they can do so on campus. Banning it simply calls attention to the problem and infringes on students’ rights.
Should the public school continue the practice of banning Web sites, it will find itself in deep water as students approach officials complaining of topical sites they find offensive, a list that could be never ending.
Individuals have drastically different views of what is offensive, that’s why it is so important to grant each the right of expressing those views. Should the school start regulating what students should and should not be reading, they will open a discussion that has no single solution.
