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A fellow American welcomed at SMC

Skylar Covich

The organizers of the Jan Term Speaker Series should be commended for taking the opportunity to bring Bill Ayers to campus on January 28. Ayers's presentation will focus on his ideas about educational theory and his new book on that subject.

However, throughout his presentation, and the polite but penetrating questions that should come from the audience, it is likely that Ayers will discuss his controversial political activity in the 1960s and 1970s, his more recent controversial political remarks, and his return to the public attention that began last summer when Republicans attempted to destroy the campaign of Barack Obama by making Obama's friendship with Ayers public.

Even one or two of these topics would justify Ayers's presentation at Saint Mary's, the huge variety of subjects that could be discussed will make Ayers's visit one of the most exciting and engaging events that this campus has had recently.

There is controversy about whether or not Bill Ayers, as co-founder and former active member of the Weather Underground radical movement, can be considered a terrorist. The Weather Underground specialized in vandalism, such as bombing empty buildings. On the other hand, it is indisputable that at least some of the Weather Underground members themselves were killed in accidents while attempting to make bombs. Weather Underground members also had confrontations with police which resulted in injury and death. However, even if one does believe that Ayers was responsible for acts of terrorism, this should not cause his invitation to college campuses to be revoked.

Education is not meant to convey only the ideas that we believe are right, or from people whom we believe have always done the right actions. Some may argue that as a Catholic school, we must maintain higher standards for those we allow to educate us. However, listening to Ayers still allows us to be within these standards. Many of the issues that drove Ayers towards radicalism, such as the anti-poverty movement and the anti-war movement, are also important to many Catholics. The Catholic, Lasallian and Liberal Arts intellectual traditions of our school involve the quest to understand the reasoning behind people's actions. A dialogue about what Ayers tried to accomplish through his violent acts, and why, can be an informative and enlightening part of the discourse on this campus. Furthermore, Ayers's most recent notoriety, though it was created by his enemies, will increase the notability of his ideas on education. It will be useful for the Saint Mary's community to know about Ayer's educational theory, and how it may impact recruitment and teaching at Saint Mary's College during the decades to come.



Terroist welcomed at SMC

Scott Cullinane

Saint Mary's invited a known and violent terrorist to speak to the students of the College later this month. The terrorist is Bill Ayers, who founded a group called the Weather Underground, and carried out bombings in America. Ayers is not a role model in anyway, and should not be granted the legitimacy of speaking at this school and student tuition money should not be paid to him. Ayers represents everything Saint Mary's claims it is against. By inviting him to speak here, the College is only showing its own hypocrisy and lack of judgment.

Ayers co-founded the Weather Underground during the late 1960s. Over the next several years, he was involved with bombings at the US Capitol building, the Pentagon, a police headquarters as well as other failed attempts to bomb such locations as a military base. Ayers managed to avoid prison on a technicality and since then has maintained that he "didn't do enough." Ayers himself has written, "I don't regret setting bombs." In fact, he arrogantly claims that he showed "remarkable restraint" in not bombing more! Ayers believes in violence and even dedicated one of his books to Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted assassin of Robert Kennedy. Bringing Ayers to Saint Mary's says to the students that indiscriminate violence against innocent people is acceptable.

Saint Mary's has always prided itself on being tolerant, diverse, and open, but could any of these words apply to Ayers? Was Ayers tolerant of those he bombed? Was he being open to diversity when he used violence against those who had a different opinion then him? Inviting Ayers, and then using student money to pay him, reveals the College's hypocrisy and lack of integrity, even when upholding their most lauded values.

This is not to say Ayers has no right to speak, but that he should not speak specifically here at Saint Mary's. The College is an academic and Catholic institution and Ayers typifies what Saint Mary's should be most against. On the same stage where Ayers will speak there have stood a Nobel Prize laureate, a survivor of the 9/11 attacks, and an international aid worker in Afghanistan. All three of those people had their lives put in jeopardy because of exactly the kind of violent intolerance espoused by Ayers. The College should not legitimize Ayers and cheapen itself by giving him the same platform to speak as those others had.

While the school refused to admit exactly how much of the student's money they are giving to Ayers there is something else to keep in mind. The College has never fully funded a memorial to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, yet they are eager to spend money to bring a real life terrorist to campus. Of all the activists and leaders that could come to inspire students, is Ayers really the best Saint Mary's can do?