Controversy was sparked on campus with the announcement of Ted Nugent coming to Northern, an event which took place on Tuesday, April 13. Response from the university community to some of his outlandish remarks in the past have created what we believe is a healthy dialogue amongst students, faculty, staff and community members.
The conversation initiated by bringing people with such strong opinions to campus forces us to think about what we really believe in and sometimes helps us form new ideas.
Ted Nugent’s speech, as well as the Sticks and Stones event, are the kind of event that is essential for our university community, because it encourages growth of thought and shared experiences through different viewpoints.
The decision to hold an alternative event by groups who opposed Ted Nugent coming to NMU was a mature way to counter what they felt so strongly against. There is no doubt that Nugent is controversial, but that’s not to say that he’s a bad person.
At his speech, he talked quite a bit about the importance of taking care of oneself and other people. His way of expressing what he believes in, however, often is what causes backlash, with swearing and hyperbolic sentences, but that isn’t cause for acting rashly. We are proud of the Marquette community for respecting Nugent’s visit to the city.
Those who supported Nugent clearly enjoyed the event, with enthusiasm electric through the Berry, and it’s awesome that Nugent was able to speak to so many people who truly admire and respect him.
For those who didn’t want to see Nugent, the Sticks and Stones event, hosted by various groups across campus, featured speakers about different forms of hate speech. This was an intelligent way to offer an alternative. Both events encouraged people, in their own way, to stick up for themselves.
We believe that both events this week, held on Tuesday, April 13, encouraged an intelligent dialogue that is too often missed on campus. We encourage such controversial and loud figures to be brought to campus in the future in order to challenge us to consider where we stand on basic issues.
