The Prospector (Helena, Mont.) 1916-2015, December 08, 2006, Image 10

Page 10 S t u d e n t s l o o k f o r a c a d e m i c f r e e d o m ■ Senior reflects on possible censorship behind some of the administration's decisions Column by CHRIS TORRENS Prospector Intern Writer In today’s society, the free­ dom to express ones opinion has sparked much debate, not only around the world, but on Carroll’s campus as well. The first amendment to the United States constitution states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establish­ ment of religion, or prohibit­ ing the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech.” The issue of being able to freely speak ones opinion came under fire at Carroll at an aca­ demic homecoming event last year. At Sciences at the Edge of Humanity, a representative of Planned Parenthood was scheduled to speak on the subject of birth control and Torrens safe sex. Nine days prior to the conference, the Carroll Admin­ istration removed her from the list. After the incident, two com­ mittees were formed. Dr. Barry F erst also placed a grievance against the administra­ tion for their actions, and the breach of academic freedom that occurred. The incident that took place last year is something that Car- roll should not be known for. Though Carroll is a private in­ stitution with a Catholic back­ ground, the event held was a public forum. There should be no reason for the dismissal of a speaker because he or she advocates birth control and safe sex. In today’s world, pre-mari- tal sex is something that has become more widely accepted than in the past, increasing the need for education. Due to this incident, guide­ lines for future controversial guest speakers were drawn up. This past summer a guideline stating that “If the speaker may be controversial, they should seek approval from the admin­ istration,” was created. This guideline, however, was rejected unanimously by Car- roll faculty. Currently, there are two com­ mittees exploring academic freedom, and helping to create guidelines so that the actions taken by the administration will not happen again. The board is reconsidering these guidelines. 9 Some decisions feel too overwhelming to make alone. What to do in the event of an unplanned pregnancy is one of them. : ■ ■ Understanding ail jour alternatives, Birthright of Helena is here to help, we offer free pregnancy testing, confidential assistance, and most importantly, someone to talk to. Please call us at 443-0662, or visit us at 543 N. Last Chance Gulch in the Livery square Building, suite 206. Birthright, a non-profit organization is always in need of volunteers and donations of maternity and baby clothes. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Set-up your roommate theme dance was a bust ByALYSE ZIMMER Prospector Staff Writer On Saturday, November 11th Carroll College put on a dance called “Set-up Your Roommate.” The purpose of the dance was for Carroll students to get out and meet new people in hopes of making new friends. Held on a Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 2a.m. in the lower Cube, most believed that the dance would be a success, as previ­ ous dances throughout the year have been popular with the stu­ dent body. However, with approximately four people on the dance floor closing in on mid­ night, the administration cut the dance short to save funds. “I was really surprised that nobody showed up, because the dance was advertised for the entire week leading up to it,” said fresh­ man John Steinbacher, referring to the advertisements on the Carroll student webpage and numerous posters in the dorms. Primarily, the dance was origi­ nally set up to interest singletons in hopes that they could find a special someone, and the week before, the “black-light” was added to the title to interest everybody else. “It was advertised a lot, but it seemed that the only purpose was to set up your roommate, but how were we supposed to do that if we live in a single?” said freshman Jen Weisser. So what was the rest of the student body doing on that Sat­ urday night, and why didn’t they come to the dance? “I really wasn’t interested, so far all the dances have been largely filled with drunk students wanting to get their freak on,” said freshman Mary Kate McIntyre. The black-lights provided an awesome atmosphere, but because of a high number of off-campus parties, numbers of attendance for the dance were very low, Rory Simpson, President of the Pro­ gramming Board. // So far all the dances have been largely filled with drunk stu­ dents want­ ing to get their freak on — Mary Kate McIntyre, freshman / / Friday, December 8 ,2 0 0 6 Volume 90, No 3