Juli Bongiorno | Executive Editor

On March 5, two weeks from the March 20 anniversary of the war in Iraq, the St. Michael’s community was asked to consider the effects of the war. Most recognizably, this conflict has cost  4,441 American lives, and another estimated 80,000-650,000 Iraqi lives, depending on whether you support the methodology of Iraq Body Count or the Lancet Study, respectively. The devastating realities and consequences of this war deserve a day of full attention and reverence in our small community.

Many people at St. Michael’s had different visions of what attention and reverence should be, resulting in a discussion about whether students should be allowed to miss classes to attend the lectures of the day. While I do not advocate canceling classes altogether, there needs to be a uniform recognition of the importance of the anniversary. Professors have several options: cancellation, re-direction, or even tailoring the war to a certain subject. However, the lectures of the day are carefully and specifically designed to engage the community in an analysis of the war. It is important to allow students to attend those presentations. If professors don’t want to cancel class, students should be allowed to attend without consequence.

A day-long program allows students to find an event when they do not have class, says Jeff Trumbower, dean of students. But what if a student has class during an event that especially peaks his or her interest? What about those who have classes where even one absence is penalized unless it’s an emergency. Should a student have to sacrifice points off a final grade if a professor does not give any leeway? In one of my classes, students who wished to participate were excused from class. Those who chose not to go to an event attended class as usual.

“There shouldn’t be any shame or stigma for those who couldn’t do anything,” Trumbower says, referring to professors who don't focus on the war during class. “If you want to make a sacrifice and true solidarity, do it on a Saturday- make students give up their days of snowboarding. See how true they are then.”

Frankly, it is insulting to insinuate that students will only go to events as a means to miss class. Many students came and left throughout the presentations, precisely because they were attending their classes, says Laurie Gagne, director of the Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice. Students also have a significant presence at presentations and speeches that occur on campus in the evenings. For instance, Bread and Puppet came to St. Michael’s on a Saturday night and drew a remarkable crowd. They too have a political message.
 
This day of remembrance is not just something for the benefit of the students. We do not consider St. Michael’s as being simply composed of the students, we consider it as a community; one that involves students, professors and staff. Thus, holding the event on a weekend may interfere with professors’ and staff members' off-campus commitments. In addition, many students hold weekend jobs to help pay for school. No one should be left out of an important event because they have other responsibilities- they too should have the chance to reflect on the war.

The purpose of remembering March 20 is to intellectually evaluate the costs of war. It can be done most effectively by attending lectures and tailoring classes, not by arguing over academic freedom. War is expansive; it can be discussed and analyzed in all academic fields.

Some classes are difficult to relate to the war, Trumbower says, specifically referring to science classes. I disagree. A class could study the science behind biological and chemical weapons. There are 34 biology and chemistry courses this semester, according to the undergraduate class schedule. Here is a tremendous opportunity to explain, scientifically, how these weapons work and why they are so controversial, to a large student audience.

March 20 is undoubtedly a day that changed millions of lives and as such it deserves an intellectual reflection, patriotic pause, and quiet reverence. Laurie Gagne and the steering committee have designed a program which achieves such, two years in a row. I understand the concept of academic freedom for professors, but I chose to come to an institution which values traditional education as well as learning outside of the classroom. Recognizing the anniversary of the war in Iraq is an opportunity to take something that occurs so far outside of the classroom and relate it to our community. If we can do so by giving students a choice and tailoring the classes, then we have achieved the very concept of a truly higher educational experience.   

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