Dr. J's message for May 17-24
This week, OUAB brought a controversial speaker to campus, and sparked quite a lot of dialogue. Largely, it was very reasonable exploration of differences of opinion. It wasn't all easy, but I think it was valuable, on several levels.
The speaker, Tucker Max, is a self-proclaimed "jerk," and that's one point on which I agree with him. His glorification of drunkenness, demeaning attitude toward women, and general celebration of immaturity and irresponsibility are negative at best, and at worst he is indeed a rapist.
Some students, led by Women and Allies Rising in Resistance, objected to his appearance on campus, and particularly to it being sponsored by OUAB, which is funded by the Student Activity Fee. That's a valid point of view, and WARR's protests, news releases and postings certainly opened up a lot of discussion and raised the profile of the event.
Other students, led by the OUAB programmers, felt that Max had a message about being true to oneself that was worthwhile and that his prominence as an author and blogger would draw a crowd to hear this advice. In fact, Max discussed his career path and how he is following his dream of being a writer rather than the expectation that he would become a practicing attorney.
Thanks to the controversy, we've had wide-ranging dialogue about relationships between men and women, the OUAB programming process, and the meaning of free speech in a university setting. There have been news stories and editorials, and comments posted on the Lantern website. The discussion has been robust and, overall, quite thoughtful.
Over the past several years, the university has expended considerable effort to raise the profile of sexual violence and the efforts to combat it. There's been some progress in getting students to learn more about this important topic.
So, I commend you for recognizing that controversy, while often uncomfortable, is a spark that lights the fire of discussion, reasoning, reflection and change.
Dr. J
Javaune Adams-Gaston
Vice President for Student Life
vicepresident@studentlife.osu.edu
Contact:
Ruth Gerstner
614-292-8424
rgerstner@studentlife.osu.edu