College Republicans have expressed their concern with a
question I asked Sara Mikolajczak in the debate Monday evening in the Memorial
Union. They thought the question (referring to her personal vote on the
Wisconsin Marriage Protection Amendment) and my handling of it were unfair and
unbalanced. Let me reply.

First, I did not intend to be unfair to one side, and
attendees will recall that the other side was also asked some hard questions
that required hard thinking. On the other hand, I do not believe that I handled
the question well, as I smiled in a ?gotcha? attitude along with the audience
response. I should have striven to remain unaffected. The students properly
criticize me on this count.

Second, students who know me and have taken my courses know
that I have long and vocally criticized the University of Wisconsin for the
lack of true intellectual diversity on campus, which boils down to a dearth of
conservative perspectives in class and in the public forum. This dearth has
weakened the educational experience of our students, and hurt intellectual
vitality. That I may have unwittingly contributed to this problem at the debate
has registered in my intellectual conscience, and I thank the College
Republicans for pointing this out. The campus needs groups like yours very
much, so please keep up the fight.

?

Donald Downs