Centerfield

The Student Right

Never was I more proud to be an alumnus of our shoestring operation of an urban state university, UMass-Boston, than yesterday, when the Boston Globe published Randi Powell's editorial welcoming the intellectually invigorating influence of students with conservative views. Randi is currently a student at UMass-Boston.

Since my first course as a political science major, I've seen dramatic change in the make-up of class discussions. More-conservative students are challenging the norms of the liberal classroom. After George W. Bush was elected to his first term, I remember one of my professors speaking about how the country had ''fallen into the hands of the dark side" -- and most of the students laughed in agreement. I had that same professor just two years later, and he made a similar comment, but this time along with the liberal snickers he got a few conservative boos.

It may sound odd coming from a liberal, but I welcome conservative arguments. I believe they raise questions and ideas that aren't offered by professors most of the time. It generates political balance, which is needed.

As polarized as the country is, it seems that having a conversation about the real policies and goals of government never happens. A college classroom is the prime environment where this conversation should take place.

But let's face it, many liberal students have lived a sheltered life while conservative students were publicly damned. With an increasingly strong conservative presence on campus, liberals can no longer get away with putting down conservatives. Indeed, they can learn from them.

Strangely enough, conservative views have only reinforced my political stance as a liberal. I can no longer make comments in class about my opposition to the Iraq war or my support for a woman's right to choice without hearing disagreement from a conservative student. It has forced young liberals like myself to be better informed on both sides of the political spectrum.

Boy, proud to bursting! UMass-Boston, in my day, was politically VERY liberal. I had the daily experience of representing the right at school, and the left at home. It does my heart good to see a current student acknowledge that the growth in campus conservatives is a positive for the reinvigoration of liberal thought and critical thinking, as both sides can be kept honest. As centrists, we know how much more can be learned by assuming that an intelligent passionate person claiming insight actually HAS some insight, and is not simply a demon.

It's people like Randi Powell who show promise of being actual problem-solvers in tomorrow's world, instead of complainers, insulters, yellers, discounters, and so on.

Posted by Brian Keegan at August 31, 2005 09:28 AM