The Michigan Review

Ward Connerly Speaks at Michigan

by James Christensen

Admittedly, the Michigan League Ballroom was probably not the best choice for having one of the most prominent voices in the initiative to end affirmative action speak. Even without the activism of the local pro-affirmative action groups, Ward Connerly was sure to draw a crowd. Those individuals who arrived a little late and waited outside the doors, however, quickly went from being a crowd to an unruly mob. Between chants of "Let us in!" and scattered yelling about violated rights, the persons gathered outside the Michigan League Ballroom presented one of the worst images a visitor to our University has ever seen. There are some questions about just whose rights were being violated when the crowd screamed at Mr. Connerly every time the doors opened. It seems difficult to believe the persons stuck outside were wronged, particularly when one erstwhile attendee loudly suggested "pull the fire alarm and end this now." Political involvement has long been a tradition for students here, but it appears that rational discourse is becoming less and less common when someone's views differ from your own. To that end, the unruly, ignorant mob continues to be a successful tool for pro­affirmative action.

The Department of Public Safety showed evidence of intelligence when they refused to allow additional people into the already overcrowded ballroom. It was unfortunate that a young lady in the front could not match this intelligence , as she berated an innocent reporter who was trying to get a story. It appears that since she couldn't get in, she felt that to be fair, no one should be allowed in, whether they were a reporter who would allow a much larger audience to share in the event, or not. It was also unfortunate that so many of the attendees arrived with such prejudice against Mr. Connerly that they were no longer interested in what he had to say, only in the event itself as it afforded another opportunity to present themselves to the media. This time, they certainly did present themselves, just not in the way they were looking for. MR

James Christensen is a freshman in LSA and a staff writer for the Review. He was one of the approximately 100 students barred from entering the League ballroom for safety reasons; therein he was smacked in the head with a baseball bat and force­fed uncooked chicken.

This article was published in the 1 April 1998 edition of The Michigan Review (Volume 16, Number 9).
For questions or comments, see the Contact Information page.