Spring Break
OP-ED:Speakers help cultivate growth in our community
by Jamie Ansorge
Op-Ed | 4/17/07
Posted online at 11:08 PM EST on 4/16/07
/ Last updated at 5:02 PM EST on 4/16/07
College is a time for intellectual and experiential growth. It is a time to learn from both our classmates and those with more knowledge and understanding. It is important to remember, however, that our young University grows along with us. With our personal gains in knowledge and wisdom comes the strengthening of our community and the institution itself.
The key to such collegiate growth is the presence of leaders and mentors, teachers and inspiration. To spur this growth in students and faculty alike, we must entertain more speakers and visiting professors who bring with them insight and cutting-edge ideas; we must continue to invite and attend speakers who can rally the students, excite professors and enhance our University's ability to teach.
This is an important time for our community, as there is a palpable influx in both activism and experiential learning here at Brandeis. We must continue to build upon our pool of honored guests to ensure that this continues .
Over the last year, Brandeis students have been privileged to have Governor Deval Patrick teach us about the politics of hope, a vision for participatory democracy and the public policies that will carry the commonwealth of Massachusetts forward.
We have had the distinction of speaking with Jill Stein and John Bonifaz, two candidates for secretary of state, about the importance of fair elections and political ethics.
We soaked up every word of Scott Harshbarger, former Massachusetts Attorney General and president of Common Cause, as he passionately explained the importance of young people in politics and a vision for a direct democracy.
Members of our campus shared in the experience when former President Jimmy Carter showed us the other side of a historically one-sided campus debate as well as the retort by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz.
Writers Howard Zinn, Anthony Lewis and Floyd Abrams also graced us with their passionate insight.
The key to such collegiate growth is the presence of leaders and mentors, teachers and inspiration. To spur this growth in students and faculty alike, we must entertain more speakers and visiting professors who bring with them insight and cutting-edge ideas; we must continue to invite and attend speakers who can rally the students, excite professors and enhance our University's ability to teach.
This is an important time for our community, as there is a palpable influx in both activism and experiential learning here at Brandeis. We must continue to build upon our pool of honored guests to ensure that this continues .
Over the last year, Brandeis students have been privileged to have Governor Deval Patrick teach us about the politics of hope, a vision for participatory democracy and the public policies that will carry the commonwealth of Massachusetts forward.
We have had the distinction of speaking with Jill Stein and John Bonifaz, two candidates for secretary of state, about the importance of fair elections and political ethics.
We soaked up every word of Scott Harshbarger, former Massachusetts Attorney General and president of Common Cause, as he passionately explained the importance of young people in politics and a vision for a direct democracy.
Members of our campus shared in the experience when former President Jimmy Carter showed us the other side of a historically one-sided campus debate as well as the retort by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz.
Writers Howard Zinn, Anthony Lewis and Floyd Abrams also graced us with their passionate insight.
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