School House Rock

Acclaimed author Terry Tempest Williams is currently on the road for a cross-country "Open Space of Democracy Tour" sponsored by Orion Magazine and Orion Books, publisher of her most recent book, The Open Space of Democracy.

Slept very little. I am on pins and needles waiting to hear what has happened, wondering if the students and faculty know of President Merwin's decision, wondering what their response will be. I realize it is out of my control now.

This morning, I received a call from some students who were organizing a coalition of student groups to protest the postponement of their Convocation. They are drafting a letter asking him to rescind his decision. They are looking for "a bipartisan and inclusive voice" that they can carry to his office.

Their enthusiasm and energy brings back mine. Everyone is talking at once. I am outside my brother and sister-in-law's house, pacing their backyard as we talk, gesturing wildly. It is a gorgeous fall day in Salt Lake City.

Then they asked if they could ask me some questions. "Some of them might be difficult," one of the students said. "We want them to be fair and balanced."

"I'll do my best," I said.

"Why did you refuse to send in your talk two weeks before the Convocation so 'a respondent' could review your remarks? The president called for this a few weeks ago before he made his decision to postpone the lecture."

I told the students I refused to send in my talk on two counts. First, that is not how I work. I like to come to a school a few days before and get a feel for the students and the university's culture. I like to listen and talk with the students, find out about the community and incorporate these stories and ideas into my talk to make it more personal and relevant to the student body. I do not have "a canned speech."

Secondly, I told them on principle, I was not going to turn in my talk. It was an issue of free speech under the contract I signed with the university to deliver this Convocation.

Next question:

"How does this make you feel as a writer?"

I shared with them my deep sadness that we were denied the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue, that I was not able to share with them ideas central to the notion of an open space of democracy that they had taken the time to read and reflect on with their professors in the spirit of critical thinking and discussion.

I told them I found it deeply frightening that the atmosphere of fear in this country has created craven acts such as this one to postpone the Convocation and I expressed my own fears that when our universities and colleges, our institutions of higher education, are no longer the champions and protectors of freedom of speech, then no voice in America is safe.

We talked about the ironies of this situation, how at the core of this little book is an inquiry and call for open dialogue and respectful listening, to create conversation and bypass the political rhetoric that has diminished all of us.

"You are the ones who stand to lose the most by this decision," I said. "This is in your hands now and you have tremendous power to change the outcome of this situation."

"We are on it, Mrs. Williams," one of the young women said. "We are jazzed. We are stoked. This is our time!"

Can I tell you, dear readers, how I wept as these vibrant students voiced their joyous indignation, their pure, innocent, and radical belief that they truly could make a difference? I heard their young wisdom, their hopes to include all manner of students in their protest. And I believed them.

I believe in them.

Before we hung up, all our voices were shaking.

A part of me worries for the president. A small part of me.

That evening, I received this letter from Brandon Hollingshead, a student representative from the coalition.

Dear Terry Tempest Williams,

The students of Florida Gulf Coast University overwhelmingly and enthusiastically invite you to address the student body on campus Oct. 24, 2004. A growing list of clubs and student organizations, including Eagle-News student newspaper, Eagle Radio, National Communication Association Honor Society, Model United Nations club, Young Democrats club, Art Club, Race of Women club, Newman Club, and a number of unconfirmed organizations wish to cosponsor this speaking event.

President Merwin and the Board of Trustees' decision to postpone the FGCU Convocation and the decision to disinvite you from speaking at the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lectures is deeply embarrassing to students and faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University. I, for one, am appalled to be an FGCU student right now. Many others feel as I do; they are outraged and infuriated. Faculty members are ashamed of the University, some to the point of drafting letters of resignation. A professor openly wept in class today as she read the local newspaper's article on President Merwin's decision to postpone. We are a campus community deeply troubled that President Merwin wishes to block you from opening the space of democracy at Florida Gulf Coast University.

This decision flies in the face of what it means to be a university, particularly a university that places its emphasis on interdisciplinary studies and active engagement on campus and in the community. The goal of our university is to teach students not how to earn a living, but how to make a life. To this end, the University Guiding Principles places student success at the center of all University endeavors, stating, "Learner needs, rather than institutional preferences, determine priorities for academic planning, policies and programs." We feel, as students, that the decision to postpone Convocation and to cancel the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture events does NOT place our needs above institutional preferences.

Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to nine learning goals and educational outcomes, believing they provide a foundation for lifelong learning and effective citizenship ... that are at the core of all classes and curriculum at FGCU, at the core of what it means to be a Florida Gulf Coast University student.

We wish to invite you to campus -- not as a speaker at Convocation and not as a Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecturer -- but as a speaker committed to the values of our Learning Goals and Educational Outcomes: culturally diverse perspectives, ecological literacy, ethical responsibility, and most importantly, civic engagement.

The Florida Gulf Coast University Guiding Principles closes by stating, "Tradition is challenged; the status quo is questioned; change is implemented." Please join us in challenging tradition, questioning the status quo, and implementing change.

On behalf of the students of Florida Gulf Coast University, I remain sincerely yours,

Brandon Hollingshead

Eagle News
Eagle Radio
National Communication Association Honor Society
Model United Nations club
Young Democrats
Art Club
Race of Women club
Newman Club

Here is my response:

Dearest Brandon:

Thank you for your beautiful and courageous letter. I cannot tell you how much your words of support meant to me. You fill me with great hope. Thank you for the strength of your vision and all that is magnificent about a university dedicated to growth and intellectual curiosity. Your coalition of students that are challenging President Merwin's decision to postpone the Convocation and Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture carries great power. You are modeling what an open space of democracy looks like in times of terror. You are asking the administration of Florida Gulf Coast University to trade in their fear for trust, their control for collaboration, and to move forward with creativity and imagination. This is deeply moving to all of us who care about freedom of speech and the right to gather in the name of mutual respect.

It would be my great pleasure and privilege to accept your invitation to join you in assembly on Sunday, Oct. 24, on the campus of the Florida Gulf Coast University. Please know I do not need any compensation, only a good bed to sleep in and a shared meal with students.

Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to honor all that binds us together, rather than what tears us apart. Your gesture to create this open space for me on your campus is a collective call for healing at a time when so much is broken in this country.

It is my sincere hope that President Merwin will join us that evening, as well, in the name of understanding. "We can only attain harmony and stability by consulting ensemble," writes Walt Whitman. This is my definition of community, and community interaction is the white-hot center of a democracy that burns bright. I am inspired by your leadership as a coalition of students. This gesture looms large at a time when fearful actions appear small.

Know of my deepest respect and gratitude for your joyous indignation and reflective activism on behalf of democracy.

Respectfully yours,

Terry Tempest Williams