UK fails to comprehensively cover conflict debate
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It’s common sense to know the best speakers flock to the best universities, a status UK hopes to achieve by 2020.Â
In the latest move towards that trend, UK spent more than $45,000 to bring former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to UK.
“We can’t get world leaders to come to UK for lunch,†Assistant Provost Richard Greissman said.
According to a Nov. 5 Kernel article, Olmert’s speech was arranged through The Great Talent Network Agency, who contacted UK about a speaking engagement, and the funds for the lecture came from discretionary funds from donations.
It’s common sense for UK to take advantage of a prominent speaker on a national tour and add him to a speaking series that will address the Israeli-Palestine conflict.Â
But the real issue is how the series as a whole has been composed and the perspective bias UK has opened itself up to.
 As it stands now, Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi is scheduled to speak in the spring. UK will pay Ashrawi a $15,000 honorarium, Greissman said, with an additional $10,000 possible for air travel from Jerusalem and a two-night stay in Lexington.
Yes, there’s a difference between a former prime minister who’s known internationally and a legislator. But that doesn’t mean that the pay should change.
Obviously it’s going to be difficult and expensive to book speakers from halfway across the world, but the planning has to be better. UK cannot look like it values one side’s goals more than another and must provide students, faculty and staff with the best perspective on an issue of such great importance.
If UK truly desires to reach the pinnacle of academic institution excellence, it must not only provide the necessary funds and resources for advancement, but it must holistically analyze an issue to ensure fairness and equality.
Potentially $30,000 difference in pay essentially shows favor for one side over the other. Does UK not think the Palestinian viewpoint is worth the same amount of money as the Israeli viewpoint?Â
Because with such a difference in pay, that’s the message that’s being sent out. Â
It’s common sense to know the best speakers flock to the best universities, a status UK hopes to achieve by 2020.Â
In the latest move towards that trend, UK spent more than $45,000 to bring former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to UK.
“We can’t get world leaders to come to UK for lunch,†Assistant Provost Richard Greissman said.
According to a Nov. 5 Kernel article, Olmert’s speech was arranged through The Great Talent Network Agency, who contacted UK about a speaking engagement, and the funds for the lecture came from discretionary funds from donations.
It’s common sense for UK to take advantage of a prominent speaker on a national tour and add him to a speaking series that will address the Israeli-Palestine conflict.Â
But the real issue is how the series as a whole has been composed and the perspective bias UK has opened itself up to.
 As it stands now, Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi is scheduled to speak in the spring. UK will pay Ashrawi a $15,000 honorarium, Greissman said, with an additional $10,000 possible for air travel from Jerusalem and a two-night stay in Lexington.
Yes, there’s a difference between a former prime minister who’s known internationally and a legislator. But that doesn’t mean that the pay should change.
Obviously it’s going to be difficult and expensive to book speakers from halfway across the world, but the planning has to be better. UK cannot look like it values one side’s goals more than another and must provide students, faculty and staff with the best perspective on an issue of such great importance.
If UK truly desires to reach the pinnacle of academic institution excellence, it must not only provide the necessary funds and resources for advancement, but it must holistically analyze an issue to ensure fairness and equality.
Potentially $30,000 difference in pay essentially shows favor for one side over the other. Does UK not think the Palestinian viewpoint is worth the same amount of money as the Israeli viewpoint?Â
Because with such a difference in pay, that’s the message that’s being sent out.
Nice editorial. Now that you’ve said just about everything I said in a letter to you last Friday, without giving me any credit for it, does that mean you won’t be printing my letter?
Very sincerely, Nikk Katzman, Ph.D. (UK, 1987)
Question: Did the “Great Talent Network” contact UK to solicit the speaking engagement for Palenstian legislator Hanan Ashrawi or did UK take the initiative? If the latter is true, we have done our part and the issue is moot.
Any more discussion will just exacerbate an already tense situation.