An Open Letter To Chancellor Wrighton

It was quick, I know, but I just wrote this email to Chancellor Wrighton outlining some of the reasons why Barack Obama should be allowed to speak at Washington University in St. Louis. It is poorly edited and written quickly and was meant to be nothing more than a note that I doubt he will even read. But for your enjoyment, here it is:

“

To Chancellor Wrighton,

First of all I preface this by saying that I am not an Obama supporter, nor am I a Gonzalez supporter. I simply want to see our campus as a center of political debate. This not only benefits the students but attracts the best and brightest future students. I chose this school over smaller schools because of what name recognition can do, not for my career, but for my experience at school. Instead of having the former assistant to the deputy to the vice-attorney general (I’m aware this position does not actually exist) we have the former attorney general himself speaking. We should be having every Presidential candidate holding rallies on campus if they want. I challenge you to name ways that the students are harmed by having even one candidate speak. And then find me 10 students who would actually feel that harm. Frankly if other candidates don’t choose to come here, that is there loss, and the fault of their supporters for not demanding it. They lose votes, we lose nothing.

The arguments put forth so far by the administration have been quixotic at best. Every time one is satisfied another one magically appears. Well the latest one as far as I know is that we might not be able to give every candidate the opportunity. So below is a list of places that a candidate can use (enough for all current candidates) including outdoor ones that can’t just be busy when a candidate wants it:

                1. The AC

                2. Brookings Quadrangle

                3. Brookings Steps

                4. Holmes Lounge

                5. The Swamp

                6. Mudd Field

                7. The IM Fields

                8. The Concordia Fields

                9. The Field in front of the B-School and all the Construction 

                10. 560 Music Building

                11. Graham Chapel

                12. Lab-Sci 300

                13. Edison Theatre

And I’m sure there are others.

Point is: We should extend an official invitation to every candidate specifically saying that availability of any of these sites is limited and will be given on a first come first serve basis. This covers the university from liability because there is then an official reason why a candidate gets preference (he reserved it first).

Don’t limit the students, don’t prevent discourse and debate. The greatest thing to happen to Columbia was the President of Iran speaking there. Alberto Gonzalez is a step in the right direction, but if we want to keep calling ourselves a school at the level of the ivy leagues, we have got to start acting like it (which might I add Ivy League schools have had candidates speak there).

In response to the argument that it might endanger the vice presidential debates. As nice as those are, they were a consolation prize. We won’t be getting the candidates, we won’t be getting the same media attention (In 2000 the vice-Presidential debates had fewer viewers than the Subway Series between the Mets and the Yankees). The debate is great for the campus, don’t get me wrong, but it shouldn’t be determining all policy with regard to being controversial for the next year and half.

In closing, to prevent Obama from speaking on campus would be a disservice to all the students of this school. Given the raises in tuition, I think that students ought to be given more control over what happens on their campus, because in reality the campus should belong to the students, and if the students want to see candidates, the students should get to see candidates on campus.

Respectfully,

Peter Glaser

School of Engineering ‘11

”

We’ll See What Happens

Introduction – Brain Drippings

Dear Blog Reader,

            Well, here I am.  One of those guys.  There must be a billion of them.  The internet has brought incredible change to the world.  Perhaps its most prolific change is that it has allowed any idiot who thinks he has an idea to become a columnist.  So, I say again, “Here I am”.    Though no one is going to read this post I feel that in the interest of being forthcoming I ought to tell all my readers (who at the time number: Me) what this blog will be about.

            I’m sitting at my laptop watching Barack Obama being interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on CNN.  I just finished writing a few samples to include with resumes I will be sending to possible internship opportunities for the summer.  I often read a book, watch tv, or write a paper and think to myself, “Someone ought to hear my opinion on the subject”.  Despite a lack of erudition when it comes to writing (I consider myself to be a much better public speaker than a writer), I am opinionated and I have things to share with the rest of the world. 

That having been said, some blog posts will be incomplete ideas.  They will not always represent my intention and when this happens I will attempt to edit them for clarity.  Consider no post a finished product but instead, a rough draft.  These are posts from a “Leaking Brain” and cannot be fully controlled at times.  What may seem like a brilliant idea at first may come out differently than I want and as a result I may change wording a text from time to time, I may even replace posts wholesale if I make an edit on them for some reason.  If you wish to quote me or see original copies I can be contacted for permission.  Sure there is nothing preventing you from quoting me without permission but if I feel I have been misrepresented there will be consequences.  I am a very easy person so please don’t take advantage of this for personal gain.

The blog is called “The Leaking Brain” for two reasons.  The first of them is practical, someone already had the name “Brain Drippings” and I didn’t want to use a one that someone else had.  It is possible that someone chose “The Leaking Brain” already, but I didn’t know about it, so if you’re reading my blog at this point (which seems incredibly unlikely given that no one is reading my blog at this point) sorry, tough, deal with it.  That is I suppose my first opinion.  That people shouldn’t complain (which I understand is ironic, given that I’m starting a blog) about things that are unavoidable or accidental (this was accidental, though not unavoidable, so don’t complain about, perhaps if you are polite I might change the name, but complaining will get you nowhere).  Back on track, the second, and much more important, reason is that this blog will be those ideas that are leaking right out of my brain. 
            This is my pledge to you, the readers:

1.       I will regularly respond to comments left on articles if they are civil and polite.  It is a great way for me to fill up column space and allows for a dialogue between us.

2.      I will regularly post.  The only thing that will prevent me from doing so will be if I am asked by an employer not to or if I forget.  Either way, sending an email to me is a quick easy way to remind me if you’re ever angry that I haven’t posted.  Posts will likely be weekly but will sometimes be more often (I’ve got a lot of backlogged ideas) or less often (Eventually I’ll need to build up more ideas).

3.      I will never criticize someone who calls me on an incorrect fact.  In dialogue people are lacking facts and tend to disapprove of no-it-alls.  I will encourage anyone who thinks they have facts that prove or facts that dispute what I say to post them.

4.      I will listen to you.  If you think there is a book that I “have to read!” because it is so influential or controversial, I will make my best attempts to do so.  I am a student.  I do have other responsibilities.  But I will try.

So there we are.  The blog is officially started.

 

Signed,

Peter Glaser

 

–The views on this blog are in no way represent any organization that Peter is a part of, they are from his head and represent nothing more than an idea.