Students recently had the chance to hunker in front of their residence hall televisions and cheer for ACU alumnus John “Sandy” Davis (’77) as he won first place on the Food Network’s newest food competition, Chopped. But the same students could not do the same for Jim Gash (’89) when he competed on SpikeTV’s reality show Murder.
The ACU cable system, which covers all residence halls, University Park Apartments, smart classrooms and several offices, is supplied through Suddenlink cable, but the package does not include the standard lineup of channels because ACU actually chooses which channels to show and which to block. Of course, if students really want to catch the latest South Park or The Colbert Report episodes, they can find both on comedycentral.com. So why does ACU block certain cable channels but not the same television shows online? Because a single cable signal is easier to censor than the World Wide Web, and blocking every Web site with a streaming television show would be an unwarranted form of censorship even for a Christian university.
The censorship that does exist on this campus is lopsided, with cable television receiving more censorship than the Internet. At this supposedly technologically advanced university, ACU’s blocks on TV are inconsistent in light ofthe ACU-supplied iPhones and computers. If the administration thinks the need to block certain aspects of the Internet and television, that censorship needs to be consistent across the board, and allowing greater access to cable TV is the right step in establishing such a consistent policy.
The censorship process begins when Networking Services uses equipment to physically pull out the desired television channels from a cable signal Suddenlink delivers to the university; the undesired channels essentially are “switched off” in the switch room located in Zellner Hall. This procedure means on-campus students cannot use their own cable provider to access the blocked channels.
Arthur Brant, director of Networking Services, said content decisions for cable are made by Residence Life because “the bulk of cable outlets on campus are in the residence halls.”
Gerald Coleman, telecom analyst for Networking Services, said the cable lineup of 38 channels, including Team 55, ACU and the Weather channels, has not changed in the last two years. The latest channels added to the selection about three years ago were the Food Network and a news channel. The last successful effort students had in adding their own choice to ACU’s cable TV was in fall 2004 when the Students’ Association Congress petitioned the administration to include the WB Channel to the lineup.
But now may be the perfect time for students to seize needed change.
John Delony, director of Residence Life Education and Housing, said a committee of members from Residence Life, Student Life, Networking Services and the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning actually is in the process of choosing which cable channels to include in the university’s new cable contract, which he hopes is finalized this semester. He said new channels are being considered for the lineup.
“Channels being cost-prohibitive is not really the issue,” he said. “It is more of a content thing.”
He said ACU blocked channels in the past because they challenged the institution’s mission, but the committee is open to students’ needs. Delony even plans on seeking input from a small group of students before Residence Life approves the final list of channels.
Delony, who is a fan of Ultimate Fighting Championship, said he is not philosophically opposed to channels like Spike TV or National Geographic and could be persuaded either way. Well, let’s persuade him.
The cable channels off-campus students can watch through Suddenlink’s standard package should be the same channels on campus students pay to see. If the university is not worried about cost but rather content, where is the E!, Court TV and FX channels? Why can students watch Adult Swim, the adult-rated cartoon program shown on Cartoon Network every night, but not enjoy the James Bond marathons featured on Spike TV? ACU cable should be like the ACU Internet; administration should censor the same content on each: namely, adult Web sites and shows.
So if you want to see your favorite show again, e-mail the Optimist with the desired channel and reasons for including it. Delony said he will consider the student feedback received by the newspaper. Let your voice be heard and perhaps one day soon you may find yourself watching Project Runway, The Simple Life or even Ultimate Fighting Championship from the comfort of your own dorm.
