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Praying for Preachers

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Yesterday, hundreds of Cornellians flocked to Bailey Hall to hear former Arkansas Governor and erstwhile Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee preach the merits of “self rule” over government intervention.

But a hop, skip and jump away in Kennedy Hall, retired Marine General Anthony Zinni addressed an equally eager (though decidedly smaller) crowd. Alongside the ever-dedicated international student contingent and government faculty sat the usual international relations enthusiasts who frequent such events.

The Huckabee audience was more diverse, reflecting the wide array of student-led groups responsible for bringing him to campus. The great turnout paid tribute to the success that student groups enjoy in their active patronage of high-profile political speakers.

The Zinni talk, by contrast, was funded by the Mario Einaudi Center. By bringing Zinni to campus, Cornell threw the spotlight on a perspective that is generally lacking on campus: that of an experienced military leader. The Republicans brought in a politician to speak to the continued role that old-time religion plays in present-day diplomacy. In direct contrast, Cornell University brought in someone to look forward, reflecting on the prospect of a “New World Order.”

Still, the unique back-to-back yesterday highlighted a disappointing yet marked trend. While students groups are able to finance lectures that attract a large and diverse slice of the student body, the Cornell administration fails to hold up its end of the bargain. Lectures funded by the Cornell administration continue to be aimed at a particular niche of professors and especially eager graduate students — unappealing to more than a small sliver of the C.U. pie.

Linking students up with international speakers is crucial, especially considering Cornell’s disadvantageous geographic isolation. And, on a philosophical level, it seems the school has a responsibility to satisfy our increasingly voracious appetite for political discussion.

Cornell students can’t help but look on in envy when our peer institutions play host to larger-than-life figures, like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who spoke at Columbia earlier this year. Controversial? Always. Influential and relevant? Yes.

Cornell doesn’t hesitate to give lecture time to Comrade X speaking on behalf of victims of Y in third world country Z, but when it comes to rallying presidents, prime ministers, council members and secretary-generals, we fall short. It’s not that Mr. or Ms. Savetheworldonechildatatime should be marginalized, it’s that the Huckabees and Ahmadinejads of the world should be pursued.

Sure, we dwell in a remote and inhospitable upstate wasteland for most of the year, but it cannot possibly be that financial constraints bar the school from taking a more pro-active approach. We own a hotel, grow our own food and milk our own cows; surely we can attract high-profile self-promoters to the C.U. campus.

The moral: cough up the big dough, Skorton. We were hungry for Huckabee yesterday and we’ll be keen for more crowd pleasers tomorrow.

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