The birds, the bees and the Craven trees

Think a tame, harmless sex column would create nary a ripple on a college campus - the breeding ground for the free exchange of ideas and the cutting edge of academic thought?

Think again.

After the publication of what was meant to be the first installment of "Between the Sheets," a sex advice column authored by a female student, we have been inundated with ire from readers, college officials and advertisers. As I write these words, the letters to the editor are just beginning to pour in.

Several area parents have harassed Craven Community College administrators and threatened not to send their students to school here if publication of the column continues. A few deeply concerned students have talked of not returning to Craven, and the institution's standing in the community has taken a hit because one student shared a controversial opinion in the student newspaper.

First, we never intended to hurt the college. We career Cravenites, or Commies, love the campus, its people and the institution itself. That being said, the purpose of a student newspaper is to be an objective monitor of campus happenings - not a public relations gladrag that runs warmed-over press releases and nothing more controversial than ribbon cutting art.

What's the balance between being true to your school and sticking to your First Amendment guns? Loyal Commies out there in Bloggerdom, did I make the wrong decision when I green-lighted "Between the Sheets?"
Comment away.