Staff Editorial

Lawrence recently awarded film producer Abigail Disney an honorary degree for her work on the film “Pray the Devil Back to Hell.” As part of her acceptance, she gave a convocation titled “Peace is Loud” and hosted conversations about her film, which was shown multiple times on campus.
While the merits of this award belong to Disney, we see this as recognition of the growing importance of film and media in both academia and mainstream culture. The large role media- and film-related technology have taken on in the 21st century has been reflected here at Lawrence.
The cinema in the Warch Campus Center has seen heavy use, showing independent films, cult classics, documentaries, student-produced films and more. The Film Production Club has sponsored various events such as the 48-Hour Film Festival, the Director’s Cut Festival, and other showings of student-produced films.
The admissions department has been producing weekly videos entitled “This is Lawrence,” which each showcase a different aspect of campus life as a way to give those considering attending Lawrence a better impression of life here.
These accomplishments are to be applauded, as the students and faculty continue to strive toward the cutting edge of technology, adapting these new forms of communication to our lives here on campus.
We at The Lawrentian feel that this trend should continue in pace with the realities of the contemporary world. As Lawrence thinks about expanding academically, we would strongly suggest those responsible for curriculum development consider the creation of formalized and independent academic department to help guide students with interests in this area.
Though Lawrence currently offers some film studies courses, most of these are really housed in different departments and merely emphasize media elements as part of disciplinary coursework.
Many students have clearly shown an interest and willingness to explore this new field. We hope that the university acknowledges their efforts and the escalating importance of media in our society and finds a way to provide students with the resources and guidance for them to stay up-to-date and competitive with new advances.