By J. Douglas Stevens
Assistant Opinions Editor
The third act of this year’s Songfest featured sororities Gamma Phi Beta and Kappa Alpha Theta, and fraternity Sigma Nu’s musical rendition of “A League of Their Own.”
Sigma Nu, with the fewest number of male participants, managed to represent in controversial fashion, donned in fraternity sponsored, long-sleeve T-shirts promoting the 2002 rush.
The shirts in question seemed to be appropriate baseball attire to the unsuspecting Songfest attendee. With impaired vision and a back row seat, the slogan on the back of the shirts was not even noticeable.
But from the front of the house, with a keen eye, a member of student activities recognized the shirts as ones that had been previously banned from campus for the slogan: “Get Nu’de in Malibu.”
The next day Songfest Executive Producer Sam Parmelee sent an e-mail late Thursday afternoon after the Wednesday night performance to the “League of Their Own” directors. The e-mail requested that the suggestive slogan disappear from the stage.
While the directors did not get the e-mail in time for the 8 p.m. Thursday night show, they readily complied to the request and fixed the shirts for the Friday night performance.
Two strips of well-placed electrical tape concealed the Nu’dity.
No harm. No foul. Fair play? Was anyone offended by Sigma Nu’s play on words?
If the shirts would have read, “Get Nu’ed in Malibu,” would the editing still have been requested?
Would the clever little innuendo have distracted audiences more than the obnoxious black tape? Probably not. No drama, save that on the stage, will conceivably spring from this minor episode of conservative “shhhshing.” The shirts had no bearing on the skit’s plot, characters or even comic relief; it was simply a byproduct of the group’s resourcefulness.
So, it can’t be argued that the censoring hampered their chances of winning the competition.
Or could it? Audience members, and even judges, could have spent the length of the performance trying to decode the missing letters (much like contestants on “Wheel of Fortune”), preventing their full appreciation.
Though it would be hard to ignore the aesthetic and technical aspects of theater in favor of a Nu T-shirt, the possibility remains.
The Nu T-shirt is not a new issue. When they were first created for Greek rush 2002, Student Activities thought the slogan was inappropriate and banned them from being worn on campus.
Other Greek organizations have experienced similar bans on their fraternity or sorority official garb, but this is the first time the questionable apparel displayed in a Pepperdine-sanctioned event. Parmelee said he requested the editing because Songfest is supposed to a a “G-rated” event appropriated for all audiences.
But among other things, Songfest is about competition through creativity.
Teams set out to represent their respective organizations on stage for 12 minutes with song and dance and a splash of acting. In order to wow the judges and ensure they remember you come voting time, it’s a good idea to incorporate something that links your group with your theme.
With their personalized baseball jerseys, the Sigma Nus did just that.
The extra attention brought by the tape may have aided in creating a memorable association, but no one can be certain.
The prevailing opinion seems to be this: Sigma Nu should have known better, Student Activities should have let it slide and above all Songfest should be an exhibition of talent, not an exercise in policy enforcement.
March 20, 2003