To the Editors of The Crimson:
The Social Committee of the Undergraduate Council would like to respond to comments raised about the Student Comedy Night on Friday, February 8. The Social Committee acknowledges that some of the comedians' material may have been offensive, and, indeed, we were offended ourselves. We would like to clarify that the comedians in no way represented the views of the council. The committee trusted the performers' judgment and assumed they would abide by the standards of decency the College demands.
Furthermore, we were not comfortable dabbling in censorship, and thus chose not to screen any of the performers. In retrospect, the decision to give the comedians full reign over the length and content of their acts may not have been the best one.
We apologize for the highly objectionable material that surfaced as a result of this comic license. In order to ensure the quality of future comedy nights while avoiding censorship, different procedures, such as guidelines and, possibly, auditions, will be adopted.
We would like to emphasize that several of the performers were extremely talented, and we regret that this otherwise successful event was overshadowed by the furor surrounding certain offensive material. The Social Committee welcomes any comments and suggestions on this topic or any future campus social events. Social Committee Undergraduate Council
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