We brought you the story of the student at Crafton Hills College who was protesting the use of four graphic novels in an English 250 course.

The issue was raised when a 20 year old student raised a stink over the use of Fun Home, Y: The Last Man, Persepolis, and The Sandman in the course feeling they were pornographic and violent.

The school president Cheryl A. Marshall has issued a statement saying that the college will not ban any books or alter the content of the course.

I support the college’s policy on academic freedom which requires an open learning environment at the college.  Students have the opportunity to study controversial issues and arrive at their own conclusions and faculty are to support the student’s right to freedom of inquiry.  We want students to learn and grow from their college experiences; sometimes this involves reaffirming one’s values while other times beliefs and perspectives change.  In this specific case, the syllabus distributed on the first day of class contained the list of required reading materials allowing students the opportunity to research the books and make a choice about the class.  The class is one of numerous electives available for completion of the English degree.  We are attempting to avoid this situation in the future and Professor Bartlett has agreed to include a disclaimer on the syllabus in the future so students have a better understanding of the course content.  I know he appreciated the differing views presented by Ms. Shultz in his class.

Seems like a reasonable solution.