What can we say?

In the past several months, several incidents have prompted discussion and debate on indecency and free speech -- especially in the media. CBS's decision to show the Grammy Awards with a tape delay, the FCC's choice to review broadcast standards regarding indecency, and Clear Channel's decision to fire Howard Stern as a result of its new "zero tolerance" policy -- all have brought this issue into the headlines.

Many organizations, especially media groups, have their own guidelines and policies as to how best to regulate their content in terms of indecency. The media on the Tufts campus are no exception.

WFMO, the Tufts radio station has guidelines which limits obscenity on the air. WMFO policies state that no DJ may curse or play songs with expletives in the lyrics during the day. "I don't feel like the rules about cursing inhibit my show, but I could see how it might be difficult for hip hop shows where there are more curses in the music that they play," said Claire Freierman, who DJs a daytime radio program.

Others believe such regulations to be an attack on their right to free speech. "Tufts is known for its liberal, accepting atmosphere, and we are adult enough to discriminate between ill-mannered and provocative speech," freshman Benjamin Chynsky said. "There should not be restrictions on profanity on Tufts campus -- be it an advertising campaign, literary magazine, or drama performance."

Others feel that these restrictions are necessary. "The Constitution protects people's right to speak up on behalf of an important cause; it does not guarantee their right to use crude language to attract attention," sophomore Rob Gordon said.

While WMFO does regulate what the station plays, other campus groups do not follow the same policy. Cheap Sox, Tufts improvisational acting group, does not regulate its performance content. "We have the leeway to push the line a bit but we have the comedic and moral sense that crossing over the line too far might be unnecessary," Cheap Sox member and senior Allan Rice said.

Like Cheap Sox, the drama department does not have any restrictions on the content of their productions. Professor Barbara Grossman, head of the drama department, said she is "a firm believer of one's First Amendment rights as a safeguard for freedom of expression." She believes this so strongly that she said she would question her position as member of the department if the Tufts policy were constraining.

Grossman feels that controversial content can be good, as it can have the potential to spark discussion. "Art should be controversial, to make us pause, to think," she said.

"I am grateful to work on a campus where there is trust and unrestricted freedom of expression," Grossman said, adding that she feels comfortable with the "atmosphere of trust at Tufts, between the departments, the faculty, and the students to use good judgment when creatively expressing themselves."

Chalking -- a popular form of expression on campus -- is subjective to University regulation, however. The University Policy on Advertising and Publicity states that chalking may not have "profanity or explicit sexual material." The "Vagina Monologues" production ran into friction with the University in February over their chalkings.

For groups such as Cheap Sox, who do not regulate the content of their shows, members realize that some of their content may be controversial. To give himself some general rules to go by, Rice said he likes "to think that my mother is out in the audience and I wouldn't want to offend her too much."

This mentality, however, does not prevent the improv team from doing "scenes involving incest, making fun of religion, killing babies. I think it's okay to get close to the line -- dabble on the other side of the line even -- but it has to be done tastefully," Rice said. "But as performers for an audience it's important to respect that you don't offend them."