When was the last time that you attended the Assembly Series? If recently, did you take the time to count those around you? Undoubtedly, Graham Chapel was hardly filled. At least, not to the extent of the Vagina Monologues or an a capella concert.

The blame for this less-than-stellar turnout lies both with the administration and students; combined laziness has turned the Assembly Series, which has the potential to be one of the central aspects of campus life, into somewhat of a formality.

Upcoming Assembly Series speakers are hardly publicized. There used to be table tents throughout campus listing upcoming speakers. These helpful reminders seem to have evaporated. Flyers are similarly difficult to find, as they are un-strategically placed around campus.

The only consolation for many interested students is that the Assembly Series occurs on the same day, same time each week. However, if you visit the Assembly Series website you will find that there are also lectures on other days of the week. Did you know that Charles Falco spoke as part of the Series on Monday? Did you hear about Rabbi Susan Talve’s address yesterday?

Lecture publicity should also not be limited to the Assembly Series. Thousands of dollars are spent annually by various departments and student groups to bring speakers to campus. Many of these lectures attract fewer than 20 people, a tragic 0.15% of the total student population.

One solution for this overall publicity problem is to designate strategically placed bulletin boards as “lecture boards,” detailing all lectures taking place on campus for any given week. Some suggested locations are Mallinkcrodt, Wohl Center, Holmes Lounge and Olin Library. These are high-traffic areas, and the boards will attract the attention of numerous students.

Of course, the administration can counter that even with lots of publicity, the school cannot force students to attend the lectures. This is absolutely true, and thus comes the second part of our recommendation. Students should take advantage of the Assembly Series and other lectures. We restrict ourselves to 5 or 6 subjects a semester. Most of us take classes that interest us, but that doesn’t mean that other areas don’t also have the potential to stimulate us.

If we attend an unimpressive lecture, we lose a mere hour of our life. If we attend an especially interesting lecture, we can discover a new area of interest, thus expanding our horizons. This is why we attend a university; for a well-rounded education. This is what the University should be encouraging by promoting the Assembly Series, and this is what students should be striving for by attending.

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