Students and faculty feel the absence of Talented Tenth, Vanderbilt's newspaper for black student issues, beyond the empty newsstand.

Many believe there is still a need for more dialogue between the majority and minorities on campus.

"The publication is very necessary, very essential," said junior Charles Stanley, Jr., former director of photography for Talented Tenth. "There are so many national issues like the ‘Jena 6' that need to be covered."

He added there is "only so much" The Vanderbilt Hustler can cover in its limited space.

Frank Dobson, director of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, also believes the campus body has the potential to mobilize and discuss current issues.

"We need to work for true integration (where) our views are able to be put on the table, and we can begin to discuss some really tough issues outside of the classroom," he said.

Dobson suggested that should Talented Tenth be revived, it could serve as an "effective vehicle" for communication.

"I think there's a lot of dialogue around, but I wonder how much the dialogue is guided by political correctness," Dobson said. "I feel that to really have genuine dialogue, people really have to feel free enough to express their heartfelt opinions and sentiments, and I'm not sure that person won't be censored or criticized for articulating an opinion that isn't PC."

Critics often have cited apathy toward diversity, rather than censorship, as the university's problem, but Lucius Outlaw Jr., associate provost of undergraduate education and professor of philosophy, disagrees with that assessment.

Outlaw noted the number of service organizations on campus and the breadth of student participation in events like Alternative Spring Break.

"Apathy is not a characteristic of Vanderbilt," he said. "Any attempt to describe it (in that way) would be disrespectful and erroneous."

— To listen to a podcast of Frank Dobson, click here.