On Wednesday, the Student Association offered most UB students the unique opportunity to see and hear former President Bill Clinton firsthand. Very few universities can boast such an accomplishment, and our student government deserves commendation for offering a significant portion of the student body a chance to hear a speech from Clinton. To use a clich?(c), it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the SA made it possible for most of us to see from our seats in the bleachers and the gold, blue and orange sections.
Let there be no mistake. Most of our eyes were fixed on Clinton, and we are grateful that SA sponsored the event. But, there were other visible figures; they were the individuals in the special front row seats on the floor of Alumni Arena. Many were not UB students. Among this notable throng were faculty members, their spouses and friends, and representatives from Children's Hospital. Even students who were in the very front of the line did not receive floor tickets, but rather were given seats in the "gold" section.
Under normal circumstances, this should come as no surprise. The Distinguished Speakers Series provides both UB students and community members a seat to see notable figures like Madeleine Albright and Sidney Poitier. The Clinton speech, however, was billed relentlessly as an event designed for students.
Addressing the audience on Wednesday, SA President Christian Oliver said, "No other event in history has generated such a great student response." This is undeniable, but such demand only points to the reality that many students were shut out after waiting at the ticket counter. Yet, several hundred floor seats were suddenly available for individuals who do not study at UB to witness Clinton at the much-hyped Student Choice Speaker Series.
UB students were promised first pick, but this apparently involves waiting for over an hour-and-a-half in line, while the administration automatically received 400 tickets. This is not a complaint that the administration received a large block of tickets, nor was it at all irritating to watch Clinton at a distance. The turnout for the event proved that Clinton was certainly well worth the wait, and the video monitors reasonably compensated for the viewing gap.
But distancing, or in many cases, excluding students from their own event while permitting other individuals in to see the Student Choice Speaker without a hassle is contradictory to the aims of a student event. Having students placed far away so that they can look down at the fortunate crowd is akin to treating them like second-class citizens.
Members of the faculty, administration, and notable community leaders obviously have their place at such an important event. It's not every day that a former president speaks in Western New York. The administration was instrumental in setting up Alumni Arena for his arrival, and the offices of both Student Affairs and Special Events did excellent work in organizing the logistics of the former president's visit.
Bill Clinton is equally relevant to college students as he is to the citizens who were old enough to vote for him. Most of the undergraduate class at UB spent eight years with Clinton, the so-called "MTV president," as the main political figure in their lives. It is undeniable that no other president in our lifetime connected so effortlessly with the youth. His speech on Wednesday was an intelligent affirmation that young people are important and powerful figures in society. It is a shame that their relegation to the arena's worst seats did not reflect this.
