KAILA WARD | staff writer
The 22nd Annual David C. Bicker Communication and Ethics Conference, held Thursday afternoon in UTCC, centered on the dimensions of music, and featured the popular 1960s classic folk rock group, We Five.
The “Ethics In Communication” conference, hosted by the Communication Studies Department featured a panel discussion led by Communication Studies Professor Ray McCormick with Communication Studies Professor Dan Pawley; Communications Studies Department Chair Jim Willis; Theater, Film and Telvision Professor Monica Ganas; Adjunct Professor of Music Michael Lee, and junior communication studies major Kyle Greenberg. Special guests We Five led a concert followed by a question and answer session to discuss the challenges of being Christian in the secular music industry.
Willis, coordinator of the event, was especially intrigued by the performers.
“This year is really like a dream come true for me,” Willis said. “We Five was my favorite band all through college.”
APU advocates that a high standard of ethics should be present in all aspects of life, so each year this conference serves as an annual day to look at various ethical aspects of communication. When Willis began planning this year’s conference, it was not until he came across information about We Five’s current tours that he decided upon its theme, “ethical dimensions of popular music.” Viewing the band live gave Willis the idea that rather than having a speaker for this year’s conference, a band would be fun and relatable to students.
“We’ve never done anything like this before. [Ethical dimensions of popular music] deserve to be looked at,” Willis said.
According to Willis, music is a channel of communication, making it an important topic of discussion for the Communication Studies Department.
“Music is one of the main ways we communicate. We absorb a lot musically,” Willis said.
This idea gives reason to We Five’s stance on ethics as imperative in the secular music world. The band, though more popular in the early 1960s, has always performed with a high standard of ethics. Co-founder of the band Jerry Burgan does not necessarily believe that Christianity is the key to good ethics. While many members of the band are in fact Christian, not all are.
Burgan believes that the uniqueness of the group lies in their genre of music as well as their discussion-style performances, which refrain from inappropriate language and discussion topics. Burgan feels those aspects are the key to good ethics. Not only speaking with credibility and respect, but also acting it out in the moment.
“There is a moral, ethical center to our group that many may find refreshing,” Burgan said.
During the panel discussion, which McCormick joked meant you had to be old enough to remember the early ‘60s to be a part of, the panelists reminisced over various bands and iconic memorabilia of the ‘60s.
After members excitedly added anecdotes to the conversation, they would check among other panelists for confirmation that their memories were serving them correctly, as they faced an audience that had largely missed the ‘60s.
Before the conference, Willis was optimistic of entertaining students with a type of music that has been lost.
“I hope students see this as an opportunity to walk back into the ‘60s for a few hours,” Willis said.
Although the concert was an entertaining aspect of the conference, it was not the primary reason for holding it. According to Willis, we live in an age where deception and trickery are all too common. The value and importance of ethics has been degraded, and the issue lies upon today’s generation of young adults, especially Christians.
“For a Christian university, ethics should be a cornerstone,” Willis said.
One student pointed out during the panel discussion that consumers of music are listening with with only their self-interest in mind, instead of pondering, “What is this song saying about our world?”
Student panelist Greenberg responded with the idea that some secular music bands are practicing their professions with ethical actions. However, many are not. How musicians portray their social ideals sometimes sets the tone for how consumers will gear their social conscience.
A popular East Coast band, Dispatch, recently held a three-day concert at Madison Square Gardens, forwarding all proceeds to those in need in Zimbabwe. To Greenberg, this is an example of ethical musical protest, one that should become a paradigm for other musicians to follow.
