The Oregon Commentator and the College Republicans have joined forces to rattle a few cages by bringing conservative political pundit and author David Horowitz to speak at the University today. Horowitz will be speaking in 110 Fenton at 7 p.m., and there is no charge for admission.
Horowitz is president of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, an organization focused on unmasking the “liberal partisanship” that Horowitz says is tainting American universities and the media, and the author of “Uncivil Wars: The Controversy Over Reparations for Slavery.”
It has been nearly a year since Horowitz published his controversial full-page ad against slavery reparations in the Emerald, raising a wave of fury and opposition in the campus community. Despite the outcry against Horowitz in April, conservatives said they decided to bring him to campus because they wanted to provide students and faculty with the opportunity to find out more about Horowitz’s ideas and give more prominence to the voice of conservatives on campus.
College Republicans co-Chairman Jarrett White said he expects Horowitz will be discussing the potential war with Iraq, as well as the liberal bias perceived in college campuses and the media, although he isn’t certain whether Horowitz will speak on slavery reparations. He added members of the University community should be welcoming to a nationally known figure such as Horowitz, even if they don’t necessarily agree with his beliefs.
Oregon Commentator publisher Bret Jacobson said Horowitz’s visit will benefit the University community because students are constantly submerged in liberal thought processes and rarely get to think about issues from a different point of view.
“Too often people keep saying the same ideas every day that they hear from professors and other students,” Jacobson said.
White also believes that conservative ideas need to be taken more seriously on campus. He added University groups have not been making an effort to bring in a diverse sampling of speakers, which has contributed to the liberal atmosphere he claims exists on campus.
“If you want to have true diversity, you have to include (conservatives), too,” White said.
Though Horowitz advocates ideas that are sometimes offensive to people, White said everyone is welcome to attend the speech as long as they act civilly. However, Jacobson said he did not expect a large liberal contingent to protest or oppose Horowitz’s speech.
“On campus, liberals don’t seem to be doing much except whining about the war,” Jacobson said.
Mikhael Romain, the contemporary issues coordinator for the Cultural Forum, said it doesn’t matter if students agree with the positions Horowitz advocates. Instead, she argued that it is more important to foster a broad marketplace of ideas in an educational environment such as the University.
“I actually think that bringing a right-wing conservative to campus is a good thing,” Romain said. “Sometimes there is an unhealthy amount of liberal voice on campus, and he has a perspective that’s rarely heard around here.”
Contact the senior news reporter at [email protected].