I went to Barack Obama’s rally last Saturday night, and it was spectacular. Whatever one thinks about his policies, he is an electric speaker who may be the most exciting candidate since John F. Kennedy.

But I am not writing this to talk about Obama appearing at the Edward Jones Dome, I’m writing to talk about him not appearing at Washington University. As an elite university striving to achieve the national recognition we know we deserve, letting Obama speak on campus would have included us in the national discourse.

I would love it if every political candidate came to Washington University. As a school that hopes to train future leaders of the world, there is no better way to entice students to involve themselves in their nation’s fate than having our most important citizens give speeches on campus. Clinton, Kucinich, Paul, Dodd, Tancredo, McCain, Gravel, Romney, Thompson, Thompson, Huckabee, Biden, Richardson-let them all come!

As a university with some of the smartest, most creative students and faculty in the world, we deserve to be part of the national discourse on our political future. We cannot hope to have more national recognition-which means higher rankings, better applicant pools, and a larger endowment-if we scurry away from such historical encounters.

Now, let’s be honest. The reasons the administration gave in the Jan. 30 issue of Student Life for not having Obama on campus do not sit well with anyone, even those who think the administration has told the truth. Students have been told that the University would lose its tax-exempt status for having political figures on campus, a claim anyone with a critical mind does not believe. The last time I checked, Emory, Dartmouth, American, University of Denver, Clark College, College of Charleston and any of the other universities which have hosted a presidential candidate are still tax-exempt non-profit institutions. Having speakers on campus does not jeopardize our University’s status as a non-profit; if anything, it reaffirms the exceptional role universities play in our American culture. To claim that the administration was afraid of losing its non-profit status, a claim with no clear basis in actual events, is rude: it dissembles to the students, it assumes we cannot analyze an issue critically and it prevents us from receiving as full an education as possible.

Finally, I am offended that we have been prevented from receiving the education our money deserves and the University has promised to deliver. My parents have not given this university a significant chunk of their life savings for police officers with Segways or maintenance staff’s frivolous projects. No, we expect an education, and integral to an education is exposure to those issues most affecting our lives, such as the presidential election. While speakers about string theory or religion are great, that is not what most students care about. We care (or want to care) about Clinton, McCain, Romney, Obama and the other candidates, but we have not been given this opportunity by the administration. Rob Wild said that Obama couldn’t come because we would have to open our door to all candidates, but that is exactly the point: We want everyone to come.

Instead, the administration comes across as having either of two negative dispositions: patronizing or provincial. Patronizing in that it thinks it can feed its students misleading excuses and try to stymie their political consciousness; provincial because, if not patronizing, then the administration does not actually want the University to assume a presence on the national stage or does not understand how to go about achieving that goal.

If any administrator has read Student Life over the past week, they will realize that my opinion is not unique. But, hoping this issue would disappear, the administration has avoided dialogue with the student body. If nothing else, I hope this letter prompts a response from those who say they act in our best interest.

Washington University needs to be the leader of St. Louis and not succumb to its insular ways. I am honestly, deeply disappointed at the administration’s behavior regarding the Obama campaign and what it says about our priorities. As a senior who has invested so much in the university and has gotten much in return, I still cannot help fear I will leave this university with a sour taste in my mouth.

My friends at other universities have had the opportunities of a lifetime, and I have gotten the daughter of a candidate at a coffee shop.

Zachary is a senior in Arts & Sciences and a staff columnist. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

Popularity: unranked [?]

 Print This Post

This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Forum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.