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Pomona College President David W. Oxtoby
In a world of uncertainty, where and how do we draw lines? How much are we
willing to compromise and allow fuzzy boundaries, and when do we stop and say,
this far and no farther? These are questions that have been much on my mind in
recent months, in light of several events on campus during the last semester.
They have also shaped your experience in the Class of 2006, and frame issues for
you as you move on to the world outside.
The first of these events took place on March 7, when two agents from the Joint
Terrorism Task Force of the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office came
to the Pomona College office of Miguel Tinker Salas, Arango Professor of History
and Latin American Studies. After asking some students standing outside of
Miguel’s door about his teaching, and taking notes on some cartoons posted on
his door, the two moved to the front of the line, entered his office, and
proceeded to ask Miguel a series of questions about his research, his contacts
with the government of Venezuela, and his knowledge of the Venezuelan community
in the Los Angeles area. In a respectful but firm manner, Miguel declined to
respond to most of their questions, the answers to which could have been found
from publicly available sources. This incident led to discussions on this campus
and around the country on the issue of political intimidation and academic
freedom.
After the horrifying events of September 2001, this country and the world came
together to assert that terrorist acts against innocent civilians are
unacceptable and must be stopped. A line was drawn at that time, and that line
remains a firm one. But over time, individuals have tried to move the position
of that line. With the statement “you are either with us or against us” some
have tried to argue that any and all actions against terrorism are justified,
even questioning the patriotism of those who disagree.
On this college campus, we have drawn a different line, one that asserts the
fundamental value of academic freedom and open discourse. A debate sponsored
this year by the Pomona Student Union on Guantanamo Bay presented two speakers,
one supporting government policy and one opposed to it, to a record crowd of 400
students in Edmunds Ballroom. This is consistent with the principle that every
issue should be subject to debate and discussion on our campus, with a variety
of views welcomed and encouraged. And that is why we were so concerned that the
presence of a terrorism task force at Pomona would discourage open discussion
and criticism of government policy, or would cause students to question whether
perhaps they should head in some “safer” direction of study where the major, and
controversial, international questions of the day would be less visible. This
commitment to free speech and open discussion is a line that this College is
prepared to draw and to defend.
The second event took place on the first of May, when hundreds of students,
faculty, and staff from the Claremont Colleges assembled north of the Library to
affirm the rights of immigrants. They stood and spoke out in opposition to
another “line in the sand,” this a literal one, namely a proposed barrier across
the boundary between this country and Mexico and a criminalization of the status
of undocumented alien residents in the United States. The group in Claremont
joined others across the country in calling instead for “an immigration policy
that respects people as human beings struggling for a means of survival” (in the
words of a message sent by Pomona’s Ray Buriel to the colleges).
Here again, the Pomona College community stood together to affirm the value of
human beings in our society. There is much room for debate about the right
immigration policy for this country in a time where globalization has increased
the flow of money, resources, and information, as well as people, across
national boundaries. But the point that the members of our community made on May
1, and that I want to emphasize here, is that whatever decisions we reach should
be consistent with a view of society in which each individual is free to
contribute to building a better world.
My purpose is not to say where we should draw lines on particular issues, nor to
express opinions on one side or the other. It is rather to urge all of you in
the Class of 2006 to take the fundamental values that I trust you have acquired
in your four years on this campus with you after you graduate: a willingness to
challenge accepted truths, an openness to new facts and persuasive arguments,
and an engagement with the world and the difficult issues we face together.
Resist dogmatic stances and be prepared to change your mind, of course, but at
the same time be prepared to draw the line when it comes to defining core values
of free expression and human dignity. Your values are the most important things
that you carry from this campus, and you need to be firm in defending them and
acting on them.
Congratulations to all of you!
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