"Should senate Roast The Roast?" read a sign prominently displayed in Buntrock Commons last week.

The Roast, in the tradition of such satirical publications as The Onion, pokes fun at everything from pizza to music majors. It began at St. Olaf around three years ago, and has grown to a circulation of almost 2000.

Some Roast articles are just plain goofy, while others can be rather biting. Following this yearıs Roast debut, some students have questioned whether a potentially offensive publication should continue to receive its recently granted cap fee funding.

The figures, it should be noted, amount to only a few cents per St. Olaf student. The Roast, as a popular and creative student-run publication, certainly deserves the relatively small amount of funding it receives regardless of whether some students find it offensive. Those who would call it a waste of cap fee money because it offends some people will find themselves on a slippery slope.

Consider other organizations, the funding of which has never publicly been called wasteful. The Film Club, a popular source of entertainment for St. Olaf students, has showcased such potentially offensive films as American Beauty, Lolita, and, more recently, American Psycho, using cap fee money. It is doubtful that any student would petition to deny the club funding. Many students make use of its services, and those who might be offended do not have to attend its presentations.

Similarly, The Roast entertains those who would be entertained by its material. It is a campus-wide publication; anybody can pick up a copy and the editors welcome and encourage submissions. But it is not expected or intended to appeal to everybody.

Those who find The Roast unentertaining or offensive do not have to read it. Obviously, every studentıs cap fee goes to support many organizations and events in which they rarely or never participate. Further, by paying the cap fee, every student who has opinions about politics, the environment, religion, or any number of issues necessarily supplies funding for organizations whose missions or beliefs they might oppose. Most students accept this fact based on the recognition that they, too, benefit from the cap fee.

The cap fee funds controversial events, such as speakers Newt Gingrich and Ralph Reed, and the upcoming Busta Rhymes concert. Controversy alone does not mean that an event should not receive funding. In fact, the popularity of these events has demonstrated that they are of great interest to the St. Olaf community and cause people to examine their thoughts and feelings about certain matters.

The Roast might not spark serious ethical or political reflection in the majority of its readers. However, it does prompt people to examine, if in a light-hearted, humorous way, many conventions and assumptions. Humor often has a unique way of alleviating the tension caused by excessive political correctness. Through humor, people can communicate about otherwise polarizing issues. Real communication about controversy requires that a person can step back from his or her ideals and beliefs, and examine them from another viewpoint. Because no single world view is the "right" one, it is important to acknowledge other ways of thinking. Humor can help; those who can laugh at themselves are often those who feel the most secure about their personal code.

Students are, of course, free to complain about The Roast if it offends them personally. However, their complaints make no case for denying funding to the publication. The Roastıs commentary is not hateful or serious, so it remains safely within acceptable boundaries. The Roast could feasibly (though with great difficulty) continue without cap fee money. To withdraw financial support, though, would be to disavow its validity as a means of creative expression. In short, it would constitute censorship.

It is interesting to note that The Roast editors have received positive feedback from individuals who would seem most likely to feel offended. In response to articles that satirized their respective affiliations, members of GLOW, members of Feminists for Change, and even Pastor Benson expressed their enjoyment of The Roast. Clearly, most people read The Roast as it is intended to be read: for amusement and humorous commentary.

Popular opinion seems to support continued funding for The Roast. The large number of students who pick up a copy indicates that the publication appeals to much of the St. Olaf community. Many organizations that are far less popular receive cap fee funding, and rightly so. The Roastıs growing popularity alone demonstrates that it deserves a share of available money.

Those who find The Roast offensive are entitled to their opinion. Their wishes, though, should not override those of the larger community, nor should they justify undue censorship or the withdrawal of financial support.

The Roast writers deserve to continue to offer their unique perspectives, and students who enjoy The Roast deserve to have a part of the cap fee invested in its continued publication.