The Lecture Fund should be congratulated for bringing Michael Moore to speak at Georgetown. After more than ten years as a cult figure among liberal college students, known mostly for his documentary Roger and Me as well as his television series and books, Moore entered the mainstream with the release of his Oscar-winning film Bowling for Columbine last year. A man who has achieved Hollywood stardom with a political message is an ideal speaker for Georgetown’s celebrity-worshipping-yet-politically-oriented student body.
But you wouldn’t have guessed it last Sunday, when only 70 students showed up to vie for the 300 tickets being released by the Lecture Fund for Moore’s appearance at Gaston Hall this Friday. However, the poor turnout on Sunday wasn’t reflective of lack of student interest. Rather, it is the result of the Lecture Fund’s often lackluster effort at advertising their speaking events.
Granted, the Lecture Fund did not receive confirmation of Moore’s visit until after the deadline for the weekly broadcast e-mail last week. This left them with the alternative, but not wholly reasonable option of putting up posters on campus. Posting flyers is a time consuming, but highly effective way to advertise an event. Regrettably, only the area between Darnall and Red Square received any attention. Except for a lone flyer in Village A, the rest of campus was devoid of advertisements for the Moore event.
Moreover, this is not an isolated occurrence. Last February, with over a month’s notice, the coming of former President and Georgetown alum Bill Clinton (SFS ‘68)-one of the most popular speakers at Georgetown-was met with inadequate flyering and virtually no mention on online forums. Fortunately, the Michael Moore event was announced on this week’s broadcast e-mail in time for the lottery-which has an increased ticket pool thanks to Sunday’s fiasco.
In the past, the Lecture Fund has been criticized for poor speaker choices and an unfair ticket distribution method. They have responded with some positive changes. However, they remain increasingly complacent when it comes to letting students know who is coming to campus.
