BU has had mixed results with this issue.  For many years what seemed to
be the only fight song the band knew was followed with the refrain, "Go
BU!  Beat <fill in the blank>!  They su** sh**!"  The administration put
a stop to it by banning the tune.  It is now forgotten by most, unknown
to current BU students, but a regular jingle at many universities (sans
expletives).

In the 1990's the BU band adopted the military's meal cry for the power
play, which is followed by, "Eat 'em up!  Eat 'em up!  Rah!  Rah!  Rah!"
The students changed the lyrics, to words known by everyone having
attended a game at Walter Brown Arena/Agganis Arena.  The administration
again banned the playing of the song, to which the students responded by
performing it themselves a capella.  After several years the
administration gave up the fight, and the band now plays the tune
regularly.

You're never going to win when it comes down to a bunch of
teenagers/20-somethings exercising what they believe is their right to
free speech.  Barking a bunch of 4-letter words in a crowded theater has
nothing to do with free speech and everything to do with class.  It's
simply mob behavior of which I was guilty of long ago.  No one college
is better or worse than anyone else in this regard.  Now I'm a
self-righteous parent, who doesn't like to hear these sort of things in
front of my kid.  He's 11, and he thinks it's pretty cool (go figure).

________
Edward N. Moller
Controller and Assistant Treasurer
Mount Ida College
777 Dedham Street
Newton, MA  02459-3323
Tel  617-928-4515
Fax 617-928-4581
[log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: - Hockey-L - The College Hockey Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John T Whelan
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 2:06 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: song banned from Whittemore Center, UNH


On Mon, 9 Jan 2006, Spreeman, Cathryn wrote:

> This weekend's home games against Vermont were the first games we have

> attended in about a month, so I don't know how long this has been in 
> effect, but the UNH administration has decided that the song "Black 
> Betty" (Ram Jam, 1977) can no longer be played as the teams take to 
> the ice for the next period.  According to conversations among fellow 
> attendees, someone complained that it is racist.  I have always 
> enjoyed the song, and thought it was a fairly rousing, energizing song

> to play as the teams skated onto the ice.  I particularly enjoyed it 
> in the movie, "Blow", as it plays while Johnnie Depp is walking 
> through the airport.

> Perhaps I should go to the Thought Police and turn myself in.

Or perhaps to the Excessively Dramatic Rhetoric Police.

If UNH would just get themselves an actual pep band, this wouldn't be an
issue.  The Yale band plays the song "Uncle F*cka" from the South Park
movie and hasn't had any trouble that I know of.

                                           John Whelan, Cornell '91
                                                  [log in to unmask]
                                      http://www.amurgsval.org/joe/

Enjoy the latest Hockey Geek tools at slack.net/hockey