How Music Shapes Campus Life At Spelman

In the Atlanta University Center (AUC), music plays a huge role in campus life. Whether it’s Welcome Back Jam, Market Friday, or even Fried Chicken Wednesday, there is always a DJ somewhere blasting the hottest songs out at the time; but have you ever thought about what goes into bringing you the music that you want to hear? Believe it or not, there is a process that goes into the music being played at every school event. Spelman has a music policy in place to monitor the type of music played on campus.

Spelman’s current music policy began during the 2011-2012 school year and was designed to ensure that the music being played at school events did not go against the ethical beliefs of the institution. Upon the introduction of the policy, a playlist of songs was created by the Student Life & Engagement department of Spelman College.

The songs found on the playlist are not to be played at any school sponsored event due to their misogynistic and or inappropriate content. Spelman’s Student Life & Engagement department constructed a required training program for AUC DJ’s who wish to work at Spelman events in order to stress the importance of compliance with the music policy.

When the policy first came into place, it was strictly enforced and many popular songs, such as French Montana’s “Pop That” and 2 Chainz’s “Birthday”, found their way onto the forbidden playlist due to their unbefitting lyrics. The student body, at the time, responded negatively to the change in music being played at school functions and began to show up to school events in dwindling numbers. The students felt as if school events were no longer worth attending because many of the songs they enjoyed were not allowed to be played at school functions.

Since then, director of Student Life & Engagement, Sylvia Maddox, and the rest of the Student Life team, have become a little more lenient with the policy, allowing certain songs that would have been banned in the past to be played as long as they are properly censored by the DJ. The Student Life & Engagement department may have loosened their reins a bit, but the music policy still stands to ensure that the student body upholds the vision of Spelman College all while still having a good time on campus.