People are attending an event sponsored by student leaders.
The Associated Students of the University of Utah lecture series 9/11: Responding to Global Affairs has a regular attendance of 40 to 100 students, teachers and community members, according to Katie Anderson, the program coordinator for the Presenter’s Office.
“It’s gone a lot better than we thought it would,” said Ben Lowe, ASUU President.
Anderson expected to have 20 to 30 students attend each lecture, and said she would have been happy with that audience size.
Student leaders formed the lecture series to discuss the issues related to the events of Sept. 11. The series began in January.
“[Sept. 11] had a major impact in a lot of issues of our lives,” Lowe said in an earlier interview. “We feel that being in touch with global issues is a part of education.”
Anderson credits the high level of attendance to good topics and lasting concern about world affairs. “Attendance in a lecture series really does prove that there is interest,” she said. “It is so great that a student group can compete and sometimes do even better than the Hinckley Institute [of Politics].”
Lecturers have discussed Olympic security, bioterrorism, political issues in Afghanistan and American involvement in the Persian Gulf.
Although many people attend the lectures, only about one third of those in attendance are students, according to Anderson.
“There are almost more community members than in any event we have,” Anderson said.
Anderson has emailed professors asking them to integrate the lectures into their curriculum to increase student attendance.
Danelle Johnson, a student who attended two lectures in the series, went to both because of a political science class requirement.
“I probably wouldn’t go to them if I didn’t have to go for a class,” she said. Johnson also said she might go to the lectures if she was on campus more often.
Although Johnson attended the lectures, she does not think they are a wise use of student fees.
“For the general population, they wouldn’t be coming to these lectures,” she said. “Maybe the Hinckley Institute could be getting these speakers rather than using student fees.”
The lectures have been successful enough that the Presenter’s Office plans to hold a world-events series permanently. The office has not yet selected a subject for the next series because that will depend on interest and who the office can get to speak for a reduced fee.
The next lecture will be Resat Kasaba addressing the question “Do they really hate us?” on Thursday, March 21 in the Union.