College needs to stress, challenge viewpoints

Gone are the Valentine’s Days of chocolates and gifts. Eve Ensler has given us a new way to celebrate "V-Day." According to the V-Day website, benefit performances of Eve Ensler’s "The Vagina Monologues" take place in hundreds of cities around the world every Valentine’s Day. Venues range from a Masai village in Kenya to an Anglican church in Nova Scotia. The entire world appears to be embracing the celebration of vaginas. Well, almost.

Just days before Valentine’s Day, the Chinese government cancelled shows in both Beijing and Shanghai. Sadly, the show was considered too risqué for the Chinese population, but this is to be expected from a communist government that has been censoring their population for years. Should it also be expected from a college?

This past weekend “The Vagina Monologues” were performed by EMU students. Most of their support came from members of the EMU community. Yet their performance was not welcome on the campus. People weren’t comfortable with the issues it raises. Thankfully, the Court Square Theater opened its doors to the show, but that doesn’t resolve the underlying issue.

EMU is an excellent college that makes its students feel at home in a loving community. I treasure my time here at EMU because of this community. But sometimes EMU becomes too comfortable. The college experience extends far beyond rote classroom learning. College is a place to have one’s views challenged and stressed.

As a Mennonite at a Mennonite college, I stand convicted as charged. I like learning in a comfortable situation where my classmates understand my views and I understand theirs. Unfortunately, if I’m not pushed, if my existing views aren’t challenged, I’m not really learning. Thankfully, I’ve found that there are many different views represented on this campus. The chorus of voices just needs to be heard.

For example, this past Tuesday, Campus Ministries hosted a panel of representatives from various denominations to explain their views on "hot topics" in Christianity today. Campus Ministries has also started a movie series with films from other cultures. Amelié, the first movie shown in the series, was challenged for its sexually explicit scenes. The movie wasn’t comfortable for the community, but it was shown anyway.

Four students have started their own online newspaper, the Agora (http://emu-agora.blogspot.com), to be a "marketplace of ideas" for the EMU campus. You may ask why I, a writer for the Weather Vane, would give publicity to the new newspaper on campus. The Agora isn’t a challenge to the Weathervane or any other forum on campus. It’s merely another venue for voices to be heard.

EMU is in a period of transition. Now is the time for a fresh look at the dissenting voices on campus. Allow free discussion to reign. What is said may not be comfortable for the administration. It might not be comfortable for the students, either. Corporately held views might be challenged. That is what a college is about, especially a church college. A church that remains current for the modern world cannot be afraid to tackle the issues of the modern world. The discussion shouldn’t be held at an arm’s length either. Don’t be afraid to allow presentations of different or challenging views on campus. Real discussion requires giving presenters the respect to at least be heard.

Participation in a discussion doesn’t imply agreement with the points raised. A discussion just shows the openness to hear out what is being said and not be afraid to have your views challenged. No one said it would be easy.