SGA responds to Juicy Campus decision

ANDY CANALES
SGA President

True leadership unites people from all walks of life behind meaningful causes. This belief guides the way the Student Government Association (SGA) exercises its responsibility and power. Whether it is bringing the community together to raise $1,000 for the Fire Relief Fund or partnering with Democrats, Republicans and Independents to sponsor the “Iraq War Week,” this year’s SGA has achieved a substantial number of accomplishments by working with students and administrators from all backgrounds to unite and better our community.

True leadership employs the highest level of diplomacy to accomplish positive results. A testament of this includes SGA’s successful effort after years of attempts to open the Seaver Main Lot to students.

True leadership requires conviction. Juicy Campus tested our leadership, which showed we genuinely care about students and are willing to take a stand against destructive dialogue. When SGA first learned how this Web site affected numerous students on campus, SGA considered two options: Do nothing or address the issue. SGA chose the latter and voted 23-5 approving a resolution that recommends the administration that restricting access to the web site would be the most appropriate measure.

First, SGA decided not to postpone the vote in order to survey the students because they are trusted members of our community that have been elected to best represent the interests of their constituencies. In this situation, numerous students who opposed the content on this Web site and favored restricting access to it from campus approached SGA. In addition, the Graphic’s Web site posted results from the survey of 453 people, of which 85 percent of respondents indicated this view. Furthermore, the concerned students that attended SGA’s meeting to express their opinions supported the resolution.

Second, the Senate considered very carefully the implications of this resolution on the students’ First Amendment rights. SGA recognizes on-campus Internet is a service provided by a private, Christian institution; therefore, the university reserves the right to limit the content that is viewed on its grounds, in much the same way it limits its library’s content (Payson doesn’t hold copies of “Playboy,” for instance). Private and Christian universities such as Seattle Pacific, Westmont, Azusa Pacific and Wheaton limit access to content that is out of sync with their Christian standards. In the same way, Juicy Campus is out of sync with Article XII of the Student Code Conduct, which outlines such behavior as subject to disciplinary action — something we agreed to when we decided to come to Pepperdine.

Third, the slippery slope argument is not applicable in this case; in fact, it is often classified as a fallacy because it fails to explain diverse situations. Only because consumption of alcohol and drugs is prohibited on campus doesn’t mean the university is also going to ban Nyquil and Advil. SGA took action against Juicy Campus because of the unique threat it poses to our community because it allows users to cowardly hide behind anonymity to defame people who don’t have a chance to defend themselves against their accusers. Unlike Juicy Campus, Facebook puts stipulations against content that is harmful, threatening, defamatory, etc. Unlike Facebook, Juicy Campus does not desire to ensure a healthy exchange of ideas, beliefs, opinions, etc. In fact, Juicy Campus blatantly encourages gossip and destructive dialogue that can be classified as libel, “any false communication which exposes any person to hatred, contempt, ridicule or obloquy, or which cause him or her to be shunned or avoided,” often published maliciously and without any intent to determine the truth.

SGA exercised true leadership by shedding light on this hateful forum and leading the discussion on campus.  Inspiring others against this Web site doesn’t take money – it takes leadership with conviction. SGA’s strong stance has compelled the university to use its resources to object to Juicy Campus’ unprofessional practices. According to Mark Davis, Dean of Students, the university has expressed its “expectation that [Juicy Campus] remove the defamatory postings. The university is also sending letters to the companies that host their site, along with a letter to the advertisers, asking them to consider whether the content on Juicy Campus is consistent with their terms of use and professional business practice.”

The key issue at the heart of the debate is a lack of respect and love for others. SGA has decided to put on a week of awareness regarding the potential effects of gossip and disrespectful speech in general. The inspiration for this week comes from Ephesians 4:29, which states, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” We believe this is not only a Christian ideal but also a human ideal that needs to be reaffirmed within our community.

Although the exposure drew more attention to the Web site, discussion on campus has helped stigmatize this kind of destructive dialogue. In the end, most of us realize it is important to maintain an environment of trust and respect that is so vital to our student body.

02-07-2008