Personally, I felt it had all the makings of a bad idea. Now, I'm not so sure.
The television was the idea of Penn Valley President, Dr. Franklin. (See our story this issue.) He told me in an interview that he wanted to create dialogue between students, and, in his mind, that dialogue would consist of conversations about local, national, and international events discussed in the news media.
"This is a campus for some that functions like a high school. What I mean by that is: High schools in certain parts of Kansas City are loud and boisterous and not very academic, kind of a play land – have fun, hang out, goof around – and we're trying to change that atmosphere," Franklin said.
"I'm not saying that this has to be a sterile place, but let's bring in kind of an academic environment where people appreciate learning and each other. Part of that means having places for young people to hang out and enjoy each other and listen to world events," Franklin said.
As he told me this, I began to realize the potential of having a television in the cafeteria. However, until now, the television has been put to poor use, usually displaying programming that ranges from BET, to soap operas, and the worst action films that the '90s had to offer.
BET has been the unrivaled preference of students controlling the programming, with rap and R&B videos dominating the airplay. If the cafeteria was already loud and boisterous before the television arrived, well, the amplitude of noise and mayhem has only increased since.
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If one were to pass through the cafeteria around 11 a.m. on any given weekday, they would likely find students dancing, rapping, and acting like they were at a middle school slumber party. I imagine visitors and prospective students touring the campus, seeing students acting this way, and thinking to themselves: "Maybe it's worth making the drive to the Longview or Maple Woods campuses where there is more concern for education and less concern with playtime."
I understand that Penn Valley is a college that tends to cater to students who have been deprived of a well-rounded education because they were forced to attend schools within a severely troubled Kansas City school district. And I understand that Penn Valley seeks to create a comfortable environment for students who have had little exposure to academia, but let's not make things too comfortable; if those students don't gain some level of academic enlightenment while they are here, their chances of succeeding at a four-year institution are slim.
Even when comparing Penn Valley to some of the bars in the vicinity, I find that the programming choices here are nothing short of embarrassing. For instance, Davey's Uptown often shows the History Channel on its television screens. Los Tules, one of my favorite Mexican bars and grills, shows CNN news. Yet, when I walk through the cafeteria of the college that I attend, I see BET, a station widely criticized for failing "to deliver more than booty-shaking music and sensational stories."
Ernest Hooper, a black parent concerned about the viewing habits of his children, summed up his opinion of BET in an editorial for the St. Petersburg Times. "The women dancers in the videos are largely deified as mindless objects. Most of the male artists appear to care only about sex, drugs, tricked-out cars and shiny gold-tooth 'grills.' Female artists match the bravado by suggesting they use sex as a tool to gain wealth from their boyfriends," Hooper wrote.
This type of sentiment has become the norm for many black parents, activists, and, yes, even hip-hop artists themselves who are concerned with things like black leadership, reducing violence, and building strong communities.
Hopefully, it is now apparent why I felt that the television had to go. However, once I realized Franklin's intentions, I began to view the circumstances in a new light. Now that we have a television in the cafeteria it seems pointless to discuss whether or not it should have been put there in the first place. Rather, it would be more constructive for students, faculty, and administrators to contemplate ways in which the television could best be put to use.
Some of the positive uses are obvious, such as ensuring that the television is locked on an educational station such as the History Channel, Discovery Channel, or world news. In addition, there are other alternative uses that would further benefit students and facilitate dialogue.
Now that we have the television, why not spend another $30 and get a DVD player and a NETFLIX account so that we can show movies in the afternoons? Why not show videos and documentaries that are at once thought-provoking and relevant to students, and why not encourage faculty, staff, adjuncts and administrators to attend in order to bridge the gap between student and professor? After all, community colleges tend to lure in students with redundant catch-phrases like "small classroom sizes," "excellent student to instructor ratio," and "one-on-one attention." Members of the faculty might even be shocked at how receptive students are to some of their all-time favorite films.
If we make these changes to the television programming, I anticipate that some students will be displeased that BET is no longer an option. Well, let them be upset at the loss of half-bare, flopping booties and fingers drenched with diamonds and thick, gold rings. Other than those for which Penn Valley "functions like a high school," as Franklin himself put it, I doubt that anyone will have any real objection to turning off BET and switching on something that actually spawns clever thinking.
There is even room for an intelligent compromise. For those who are unaware, beyond the world of mass marketed gangsta rap, which glorifies violence, drug-dealing, and overall stupidity, there is a vast realm consisting of politically-smart and socially-conscious hip-hop artists who are saying things that most college professors would agree with. Consequently, there are plenty of movies and documentaries explaining the inventive roots and philosophies of hip-hop MCs, b-boys and b-girls, and graffiti artists.
Altogether, this issue allows us the opportunity to quit talking idealistically about what Penn Valley should be, and what this college should represent for students. A simple issue like this one would be a great place to begin putting those often-talked-about principles into action. Let's keep the television, and let's use it to inform and to facilitate dialogue among students about issues that will affect the future outcomes of our community, our nation and, most importantly, students' lives.
That seems to be Franklin's original intention, but it may take more effort than originally intended to make it happen.
Tell us what you think. Write Spectrum at editor@mcckc.edu.
Copyright 2007 Metropolitan Community College