Feminists and Republicans might not be cosponsoring an event anytime soon. But along with For Members Only, their organizations brought famously incendiary speakers to campus and took the heat for the controversy.
In the past week, FMO featured the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, College Feminists hosted author Elizabeth Wurtzel and College Republicans presented neocon writer David Horowitz.
These big-name speakers are part of the vanguard of the First Amendment defending our right to say just about anything - no matter how ridiculous or crazy.
Wright's infamous utterance "God damn America" dogged Obama last March, but the Reverend has valuable opinions on claiming racial identities. College feminists sponsored Wurtzel, best known for "Prozac Nation" and "Bitch: In Celebration of Difficult Women." Horowitz evolved from liberal to conservative champion of "terrorism awareness" and wrote a book criticizing the "101 Most Dangerous" professors in the U.S.
All are outspoken, but serve as voices for marginalized sections of society. Their views may be fringe but deserve to be heard.
College campuses almost universally claim to be bastions of free speech, frequently congratulating themselves for having a wide-variety of voices in their hallowed halls.
But more than the university, NU student groups have stepped up to validate that claim. In taking the responsibility to bring controversial speakers, they also opened themselves to wider criticism.
But whether by bringing a reformed New Leftist or a famed African-American preacher, these groups deserve credit for providing students view from all sides.
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