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June 13, 2007

The Decemberists talk about Tech shootings, artistic freedom

The Decemberists, one of the leading indie bands in the country, have mentioned the Virginia Tech tragedy at the beginning of several of their shows to give tribute to the victims but to also warn against the stifling of artistic freedom.

Much has been made of violent plays and short stories written by the shooter Seung-Hui Cho that caught the attention of some faculty at Tech. Cho was a senior majoring in English.

Colin Meloy, singer and songwriter for the group, discussed this on Chicago Public Radio's "Sound Opinions" last week.

"As somebody who does deal in rape and murder in our songs, it kind of puts you in an awkward position," he said on the show. "We even have a song that sort of openly advocates random killing. Of course, none of us are remotely violent people, but there's those dark corners of humanity that are really great to explore in songs and stories."

Meloy brings up an interesting point that I'm sure English departments and creative writing programs throughout the country will have to deal with in the years ahead. I've spoken with some faculty at Tech who have said that violent writings on their own don't usually cause alarm, but disturbing writing coupled with disturbing behavior does.

It'll be interesting to see if and how the line between campus safety and academic freedom moves, particularly at Tech, next year. Where do you think it should be?

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Quick thoughts

  • The price of free speech? -

    A student government association cut off a student newspaper's funding because the paper hired a lawyer because the SGA often meets in secret. The SGA has relented. Sort of. Temporarily. Read about it here.

  • Halloween fun -

    The creepy, furry spiders are out in public and candy corn is stacked on shelves, so that means everyone's favorite spooky holiday is nearing.

    And, even if your bosses is a monster, I'm not talking about talking about National Boss Day, but Halloween.

    So, to make things more festive around here, we want to hear from you. How do you plan to dress for trick-or-treat (or drink), as it may be?

    Send us your best costume ideas, then make sure you take losts of pics.

    We'll feature a few, let you vote on the winners and those could be featured in an article.

    Happy Halloween!

  • $10,000 blogging scholarship -

    Think your rants about life might be worth some cash?

    You can write a 300-word essay, submit your thoughts and site here, and hope your friends -- and the rest of the world -- votes for you.

    For the second year, collegescholarships.org is handing out money to the best full-time college student/blogger. You must be a U.S. citizen and willing to put your name out there, if you win.

    So, think about the most inspiring blog you've ever read, or any else on this list. Send it in by Oct. 6. and let us know when you win.

    Winners will be notified by Oct. 28.

  • Online forum to talk about campus security -

    The day after holding a statewide conference on campus security, Gov. Tim Kaine's office announced the creation of a web site where "members of the Virginia college community," can discuss campus security.

    Go here for more information and to register to have access to the site.

    The governor's panel on the Virginia Tech shootings is expected to release a fairly thick report on the work it's done this summer in the next week or two and Tech's own internal review is also scheduled for completion soon.

    Security is one of many topics expected to be covered in those reports. This forum seems to be an attempt to keep the conversation fluid and share information more between universities.

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About this blog

Mug of Greg Esposito

Rhode Island native and Virginia Tech reporter Greg Esposito posts on everyday college life, trends and issues affecting the 35,000-plus students in the New River Valley and beyond.

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Mug of Tim Thornton

Tim Thornton, who is old enough to have children attending college, is still taking classes and is still fascinated by colleges, the students who populate them and the bureaucrats who operate them. His reporting beat is Radford University.

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Mug of Anna Mallory

West Virginia native Anna Mallory blogs on student life topics at Virginia Tech, Radford University, New River Valley Community College -- and beyond.

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