Student Media Culture

  Any of you who know the origin of low pants (and those of you who don’t know and wear your pants low anyway) should be interested in this article exploring the implications of students wearing the keffiyeh at the University of Maryland. Traditionally, some people wear the keffiyeh (a traditional Arab headdress worn by Palestinians) as a symbol of Palestinian support. But the garment has become hipster wear since Urban Outfitters began marketing them as “anti-war woven scarves” (the chain-store has since apologized). For more on the complexities of the issue/garment, read the article.

  A production of The Vagina Monologues at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor will include men as non-speaking extras, even though the author stipulated that no men appear on stage when she released the rights to the play.  The men will appear as "nothing but props,” according to the junior director of the play.  The decision has been cleared with the V-Day College Campaign, which oversees the productions of The Vagina Monologues on college campuses. 2/16/07

The University of Iowa’s student paper, the Daily Iowan, recently explored what has become an international debate: the effect of biofuels on food prices worldwide. In response to a report recently issued by British newspaper The Guardian asserting that 75% of the increases in food prices are due to biofuel production, The Daily Iowan interviewed

  What started as a class project for Pepperdine advertising major Quincy Wimbish has now become a full-blown business: “Icon,” a magazine for African American men. With his publication Quincy hopes to confront the stereotypes commonly faced by the African American community by highlighting the successes stories of accomplished individuals. “Icon” will initially be distributed on Pepperdine’s campus, but Quincy hopes to eventually reach national distribution. Read more from Pepperdine

  The use of technology in the 2008 Presidential Race is ever-increasing, particularly in forums such as Facebook and MySpace, as candidates attempt to secure the growing youth vote. More than ever, candidates are relying on blogs, online videos, internet campaign advertisements, and the world wide web as a whole to attract and educate voters. However, skeptics reiterate that internet popularity does not always translate into actual votes.

  As part of ongoing Black History Month events on campus, UC Davis’s Cross Cultural Center, sponsored by the Associated Student Union, will be showing R. Kelly’s infamous hip-hopera “Trapped in the Closet” and hosting a subsequent discussion in an effort to raise awareness of gender and sexuality stereotypes in the black community. Student organizers said they feel that focusing on popular media is an important way to raise awareness among students, and, strange as it may seem, they believe R is just the man to do it.