Campus Christmas Carols Silenced After Non-Christian Complaints

For nearly 15 years, the Pulliam Hall clock tower on the campus of Southern Illinois University has played Christmas carols. But this year, after a few complaints, the bells have been briefly silenced while the school tries to expand its melodic tradition to include a more diverse selection of music.

"We took the music off the clock tower as a result of some complaints we received that religious music was offensive to non-Christians," SIU Chancellor Rita Cheng told KFVS.

The local CBS affiliate reports that SIU administrators agreed Friday to start playing "secular holiday songs" until a more "multi-cultural mix" can be put together that includes songs from other faiths.