CAMPUS

BC Fights Bill Ayers

Boston College’s administration was caught off guard on Friday when the Boston Globe called seeking comment about a Bill Ayers event to be held on campus. The event, which was co-sponsored by the College Democrats and the Lynch School of Education, was entitled The State of Democracy in America, and was to take place in one of the school’s dining halls. Calling back the Boston Globe later that day, University Spokesman Jack Dunn informed the press that the event had been canceled due to “safety concerns.” Some residents of the Boston area have implicated Ayers as at least partially responsible for the killing of an Allston police officer during his days with Weather Underground.

The College Democrats have strongly protested this position, citing that Ayers is a well-respected professor at the University of Illinois. The President of the CDs even went so far as to suggest to the Boston Globe that Ayers augments Ignatian values. At the very least, this is a remarkable revelation of ignorance, and quite possibly a insult to the intelligence of BC students and alumni. St. Ignatius stood for the core, fundamental values the Catholic Church professes to follow, including life, truth, and dialogue. Ayers, as an unrepentant domestic terrorist, has never exhibited any of these values. His blatant disregard for human life and dialogue were seen with his work in Weather Underground, and he seems to be very flippant about truth, accusing Boston College being beholden to a mob mentality.

I cannot understand why Bill Ayers was coming to BC in the first place. Had he not been brought out of the shadows by Obama’s campaign, few under the age of thirty would have ever heard of him. Instead, he made his name during the campaign as a controversial figure in Obama’s past, not for academic prowess, brilliant books, or any other accomplishment in the academic community that would tantalize a group of college students to put down their books and attend his lecture. In essence, this is nothing short of a “freak show.” College students are not interested in his views on democracy, but rather want to see the man who led a domestic terrorist organization and got away with it. This is not a man who even vaguely understands democracy. In fact, his terrorism worked against the foundations of free dialogue and our system of government. His visit would add absolutely nothing to the college environment or dialogue.

It is shocking that the administration was unaware of this event considering several factors. First, any event held in a dining hall requires a Project Authorization Worksheet, which must be approved by a university dean. Somehow the dean that gave permission for this event failed to notify his superiors that such a controversial speaker was making an appearance. Second, hundreds of alumni and students had been writing university officials, including president Father Leahy S.J., in order to protest the event. Third, the College Republicans filed a protest permit for the event, which also requires a dean’s approval and notification of the Boston College Police Department. The lack of communication upward represents a stunning embarrassment for the school.