Music Playlist and Event Conduct
“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12).
Choose wisely when using media, because whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you. Select media that uplifts you. Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable. Take care that your use of media and entertainment does not dull your sensitivity to the Spirit or interfere with your personal relationships with others. Do not communicate anything over the Internet or through text that would be inappropriate to share in person. Obey the laws that govern sharing music, movies, and other copyrighted items.
Music Played or Performed At Events
In an effort to reflect our University’s values and mission, the following policy is currently in place.
All music played at Franciscan University events must be approved based on the following guidelines:
1. No references to sexual acts or innuendo
2. No references to graphic violence or physical abuse
3. No references that glorify alcohol/drug use
4. No slurs, including ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation
5. No swearing and/or vulgar language
These areas should not be present in the lyrical content. In addition, the public persona of the performing artist should be taken into account. Consider the following when reviewing your music.
"Language" - curse words in the songs;
“Sex” - inappropriate sexual references;
“Alcohol” - binge drinking or drunkenness;
“Drugs” - drug referencing.
Read the lyrics for every song on the list and listen to them. The questions one should consider are:
1. Would it be inappropriate to read these lyrics into a microphone anywhere on campus?
2. Would I be uncomfortable if parents, staff/faculty, and friars heard these lyrics?
3. Do these lyrics promote an immoral behavior or lifestyle in conflict with the mission of Franciscan University or the teachings of the Church?
Given the ever changing nature and culture of pop music, it is unreasonable to expect only one person to monitor or understand the background of all the music played at Franciscan University events. Therefore, each staff member, in conjunction with their student leaders, should work to screen the music that will be played at a specific event OR one may use the playlist that has been juried by student peers and available through Exc!te. Your playlist must be submitted a minimum of 10 business days prior to the event .
Conduct and Behavior at Social Events/Dances
Students should seek an exemplary lifestyle in living and learning and respect for members of the University community and the surrounding local culture. Students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with a Christ-centered life, cultivating actions such as love, compassion, truthfulness, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Students should likewise refrain from dishonesty, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, theft, violence, disruptive behavior, racism, sexual harassment, and illicit or non-medical use of drugs, narcotics, and other substances.
Disruptive or risky behavior is any behavior that adversely impacts the environment of other students, the community, or the administrative functions of the University on or off campus.
Any disruption at a dance or social event, such as fighting, profanity, breaking of school policy, willful disobedience of a person in authority, faculty, staff or campus security, or behavior or implied behavior that can be construed as unruly, will be handled on an individual basis. Such behavior may result in, but is not limited to, removal from the event, discipline from Student Life, or, in extraordinarily rare and extreme instances, intervention by law enforcement and arrest.
Students and their guests are expected to behave in a courteous and polite manner at all times. Administration, school leaders, and hosts for the event will challenge and aid in correcting student and guest misbehavior and conduct. Social events and dances are privileges, not entitlements. The privilege of having dances requires students to assume responsibility for self-monitoring their behavior.
Expectations also include appropriate dancing. (Inappropriate dancing includes, but is not limited to, "moshing," "body-surfing," "slam-dancing," and any style of dancing that suggests sexual innuendo, including, but not exclusive of, crotch-to-crotch, butt-to-crotch, twerking.)
Sexually-suggestive dancing will result in the student's removal from the event, and may hinder or prevent his or her participation in future school dances and events.