Lori Berquam ought to be careful what she wishes for.
One week ago, this newspaper ran a news story in which Ms. Berquam, the University of Wisconsin dean of students, bemoaned the lack of student activism regarding the ongoing war in Iraq. "I want our students to be passionate and say, 'Get out of there,'" Ms. Berquam told the Herald's Nick Penzenstadler. "Why aren't there more protests about what's happening there?"
If that comment seems out of place to you, you're not alone. It is an oddly political statement from a dean of students who, in the past, has declined to comment on other more relevant political controversies. When Ms. Berquam's superior, Chancellor John Wiley, spoke out in opposition to the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage last fall, he made clear he was doing so because he thinks — on a very practical level — the amendment will hurt UW's recruitment and retaining efforts, and not for any greater philosophical objections. It is his duty, Mr. Wiley said, to speak out against state action that will hurt the institution he is charged with defending. Ms. Berquam, though, chose not to apply the same rhetoric. In what may or may not be an important detail, she was the interim dean of students at the time, and chose to withhold comment altogether.
Clearly, it is not UW policy for top administrators to insert themselves into political controversies that do not directly impact the institution. On Friday, The Badger Herald published a letter from Ms. Berquam clarifying her sentiments on the Iraq war, and on student activism. Forgive me for being cynical, but I think it is safe to assume Ms. Berquam wrote the letter after catching some flack over what she said, whether it was from her bosses, her subordinates, certain professors or all of the above. After all, not everybody opposes the war, and not everybody wants to see more student activism, either.
In her letter, though, Ms. Berquam did little backpedaling: She still wants to see more student activism, and she still wants to see more student activism on the war in Iraq, but she says she's indifferent as to what side of the debate student protesters take. This is a step in the right direction, but it should be noted that the nature of any kind of protesting is that people are far more likely to speak out when they're opposed to the status quo, not when they support it.
But the real interesting aspect of Ms. Berquam's comments is her zeal for student activism, and her apparent disappointment in the lack of student activism on campus in recent years. She harkens back to UW's history of activism and student protests, calling peaceful protests, marches and rallies "part of the fabric of this university." But let us not forget: This campus's history also has a dark side. For all the peaceful protests during the Vietnam War era, student activism on this campus taken to the extreme resulted in one of the largest domestic terrorist attacks of its time, when in 1970 four UW students bombed Sterling Hall, killing a graduate student in the process. It is with great irony that less than 40 years later, the dean of students calls on students to "get up, stand up" and increase their activism. In those times, administrators did all they could to keep student activism in check; in 1969, the governor of Wisconsin called in the National Guard to set up shop on campus for fear of student protests spiraling out of control.
Even more ironic, perhaps, is the timing of Ms. Berquam's comments. Just this Thursday, the Campus Antiwar Network staged an elaborate protest of Halliburton's presence on campus, marching from Bascom Hall to the Engineering Centers Building and back to Bascom Hall again. Whatever you think of their message and their tactics, the Campus Antiwar Network should be credited with staying in the bounds of fair protesting. It was precisely the kind of peaceful protest that is appropriate, and it wasn't an isolated incident. We've heard from CAN before, and I'm sure we'll hear from them again, with or without Ms. Berquam's prodding for more action.
I admire Ms. Berquam's support for peaceful protests, marches and rallies. These events are indicative of a healthy democracy and belong, perhaps more than anywhere else, on college campuses. If any person — a UW student or not — feels strongly about a particular issue, he should speak out, use the peaceful powers of persuasion or protest and work tirelessly for change. That's just being a good citizen. But Ms. Berquam should be careful in her advocacy. She's the dean of students at a university that has had problems with overzealous student protests in the past. Pushing for more unrest may come back to haunt us all.
Mike Gendall ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in philosophy and political science.
