When comedian Dan Ahdoot performed at William Jewell College, he was told by College Union Activities to keep his material at a PG-13 level. Ahdoot complied but spent a great deal of his routine mocking the rule.  CUA, which brought Ahdoot to campus, places this limitation on any performer that comes to campus.  Also, dances sponsored by the organization must play songs that are edited and screened by Student Affairs. According to Sara Bailey, Director of Student Activities, this is done to ensure that what CUA does is in line with the mission and vision of the College.

“CUA is a College-sanctioned organization, so what we’re doing needs to fit with the mission and vision of the College,” Bailey said. “We need to make sure that we’re doing events that are inclusive and have a wide appeal.”

Such inclusiveness sometimes means limiting the amount of offensive material coming from performers. According to Matt Drabenstott, senior and CUA co-director, the logic behind asking comedians to keep their material PG-13 is because they will always overstep.

“Generally, comedians like to push the envelope, so Sara’s logic is that asking them to keep it PG-13 means that it will really be R material,” Drabenstott said. “If you don’t give them any limits, they’ll get really vulgar. It’s happened in the past and people were legitimately offended.”

Chris Bradbury, senior and CUA co-director said that students approached him after Ahdoot’s performance upset with the restrictions.

“Some approached me and thought that those restrictions weren’t necessary,” Bradbury said. “There was the feeling that we are all college students, not young children, so what we choose to hear should not be limited.”

Bradbury added, “If students are paying for it, they should be able to get what they want.”

Funding for CUA comes from the student activities fee, which is paid by all students as a part of their tuition. This fee also provides funding for the Hilltop Monitor and Student Senate, on the grounds that these organizations exist to serve the entire campus. Bradbury said that he felt it was somewhat unfair that these organizations were not limited in their actions.

“Senate can do whatever they want with that money.  They have the final say. And the Monitor can do whatever they want with their stories.  They get the final say on what to publish,” Bradbury said.

Bailey, however, said that the goals of the three organizations are completely different. Because CUA looks off-campus when bringing events to campus, they are dealing with individuals unfamiliar with the culture of William Jewell.

“The Monitor and Senate have a much more intimate knowledge of the campus. They know what can fly and what cannot,” Bailey said. “The performers we are bringing in do not have that knowledge of the campus, so we do our best to make sure that they don’t do anything that wouldn’t fit in the culture here.”

Bailey indicated that the group does its best to cater to the needs of the students. Before attending the National Association of Collegiate Activities conference in the spring, a survey is sent out to students asking what sorts of activities they would like on campus.

Bailey also said that she has never had a student approach her about the restrictions.

“I’ve never had a student say that they want a free-reign, anything-goes situation,” Bailey said. “Our goal is to make the events as inclusive as possible.”