Return to AE Contents

Classroom on the Quad
Welcome and Introductions
Bruce Knauft, Faculty Council

Jim Grimsley, Faculty Council

Purvi Patel, College Council

Donna Wong, Campus Life

Iraq: The Challenge of Responsibility
Rick Doner, Political Science

Weapons of Mass Destruction and U.S. Foreign Policy
Dan Reiter, Political Science

A Call to Words
Asanka Pathiraja, Foreign Policy Exchange

Hearing in Eqanimity: Deciding Your Path
Bobbi Patterson, Religion

The Necessity of War with Iraq
Bob Bartlett, Political Science

The Humanitarian Cost of War
Laurie Patton, Religion

A Man of Honor: The President's Noble Vision
Daniel Hauck, College Republicans

Women: War and Peace
Lili Baxter, Women's Studies

The Morality of War
James Tarter, Students for War Against Terrorism

Speak Up or Get Out
Erin Harte, Young Democrats

War Does Not Resolve Conflict, War Is Conflict
Mark Goodale, Anthropology

A War of Liberation
Frank Lechner, Sociology

A Call to Consciousness, A Litany of Questions
Juana Clem McGhee, Institute for Comparative and International Studies

Student Activism: Ways to Be Involved
Erik Fyfe and Rachael Spiewak, Emory Peace Coalition

Cross-Cultural Communication: U.S. and Iraq
Devin Stewart, Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies

The U.S. Has Never Been Alone in the World
William Chace, University President

“Democracy is not something you believe in or a place to hang your hat, but it's something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles." So said Abbie Hoffman, activist and founder of the Youth International Party of the 1960s and 70s. His point is clear. This is our country and our government. No matter the political affiliation, all our representatives are vessels of our opinions. We must not allow our beliefs and desires to be overlooked. We must make ourselves heard.

This war is being launched in all of our names—whether we support it or not. We are citizens of America, citizens of a country that is unquestionably an important player in a global community. As such, our national policies and international actions have serious consequences on our position in the world. Every time we venture beyond the safety of our borders, each one of us faces the ramifications of these actions. We cannot hide from our roles as Americans.

The same responsibilities we have abroad present themselves at home. We cannot escape within the comforts of our own personal bubbles, immune to the world around us. It is easy for us to ignore the situation, to turn off CNN, and to hide from the fundamental responsibility that we have to each other and to our country. But as citizens, we must use our voices. In order to call ourselves part of American democracy, we must fulfill our duty and obligation to be active within it.

As the future of America, we must start taking an interest in our government’s policies and actions; their decisions are our consequences. It’s time to react to what the leaders of our country do and say. We are here, we are listening and we will not stand by silently. We must find our place in a political system where our leaders have stopped hearing our voices. We can not wait until tomorrow to take leadership roles; we must raise our voices now and show our country that we care.

Now, as we face war for the first time in our lives, we must discover what it means and where we fit in with the violence going on around us. Everyone must decide their own opinion of what war means for the United States; for or against, radical protester or new army recruit, the time has come to evaluate the evidence before us, and understand what war means for us now.

Our opinions need not be identical. Our country was founded on principles of non-conformity. Our founding fathers based their beliefs on dissidence. Following this, we must express our grievances as well as our support to those who represent us. If we are silent, we forfeit the right to criticize.

The challenge: speak up or get out. Advocating peace is as justified as supporting war; burning the flag in protest is as patriotic as flying it in pride. Don’t waste your time arguing the semantics of patriotism, fighting over what’s American and what’s not. It’s irrelevant. Instead, channel your energy into educating yourself. Tell your friends. Celebrate your right to think. Act upon your political beliefs in a constructive and positive way. Vote. Yell. Scream, if you must. You lose your right to speak out if you fail to participate.

Our first amendment guarantee means nothing if we are not willing to exercise what others have fought to ensure. Freedom to express our thoughts, to speak in favor or against our government is not simply our right--it is our responsibility.

I personally do not support this war, but I am not standing before you today to influence your opinion. I am here to encourage you to have an opinion. There is no room for idleness in a situation that affects not only our country, but the world. Your voice is a tool of your own making: don’t be afraid to use it.