According to Wednesday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the students who invited Alberto Gonzales to Washington University Tuesday night and the protesters who showed up to denounce the former Attorney General could agree on one thing: his presence helped revive political activism at the school.
As the sounds of protest and dialogue subside, I want to offer a resounding thank you to students, administrators, the Washington University Police Department (WUPD) and the St. Louis community.
When it was announced in November that Gonzales would come speak here, I heard an array of responses from disgust to curiosity to excitement. Many students were in favor of hearing him speak despite their disapproval of his actions as Attorney General.
I want to thank the College Democrats for their facilitation of constructive dialogue through round-table discussions, a town hall meeting and a teach-in for law school professors to express their concerns about Gonzales' past actions. Along with the Peace and Justice Coalition, they implemented a successful protest that garnered national attention. In addition to having members create posters and wear orange jumpsuits to class, they provided their members with an opportunity to march to the venue and protest with local area groups. Protestors who chose to attend the speech did so respectfully and through their actions promoted freedom of speech on our campus.
Across the aisle, I want to thank Ryan Winograd and the College Republicans for hosting a speaker that represents a minority view. By hosting Gonzales, they sparked significant dialogue and action on our sometimes-apathetic campus. Winograd, the organization's vice president and main organizer of the event, attended College Democrats meetings and participated in their discussions. The open communication and mutual respect exhibited by both Winograd and College Democrats' President Ben Guthorn are remarkable given the national political climate. Their cooperation enabled a successful event on Tuesday, both inside and outside of the 560 Building.
While student groups were involved in making the event successful, neither the protests nor the speech would have happened without the permission of the Wash. U. administration-and I thank them for this. I understand that they were under pressure to kill the event. In addition, the security and logistical concerns could have easily caused the event to collapse under its own weight. Yet, they still supported our right to bring in a big name, controversial speaker despite the additional headache it would cause. This precedent is a step in the right direction for students and is something we can build upon.
My final thanks goes to the Washington University Police Department for keeping the event safe, both for protesters and listeners. The Gonzales speech and protest had the potential to be very dangerous. WUPD spent months coordinating with University City Police, the 560 Building management and student groups to ensure that protests could occur on the premises and that participants would be safe.
Even though Gonzales' speech was not profound, I believe his presence brought something out of many students. And as we prepare for the upcoming elections in November, I hope we continue our spirit of political activism.
Neil is the president of Student Union. He can be reached via e-mail at president@su.wustl.edu.
