Sharpton to deliver civil rights address

Author: Jaime Fuller and Tamara Hilmes

CORRECTION APPENDED

The Middlebury College Activities Board (MCAB) announced on Jan. 13 that activist The Reverend Alfred Sharpton, Jr. will be speaking at the College on Feb. 11.

Sharpton will speak at Mead Chapel, and a live feed will allow people to watch the address from the newly-renovated McCullough Student Center, and possibly Dana Auditorium.

The MCAB Speakers' Committee is also working on creating a free ticketing system that will prioritize students so that those who attend Middlebury will be able to fill the front rows and not have to wait outside for what will most likely be a well-attended event.

The Speakers' Committee is annually responsible for planning and providing funds for one "big speaker" to come to the campus. This year, the committee decided to spend their $40,000 budget to bring Sharpton to Middlebury after months of deliberation.

The committee's budget, which is allotted by the Student Government Association (SGA) Finance Committee each year, consists of $20,000 to bring high-profile speakers to the campus. Because the going rate for these speakers is usually higher, according to co-chair of the Speakers' Committee Trevor Lee '10, the committee made the decision to invite a speaker every other year, so that the budgets from both years could be combined - enabling the committee to attract a more sought-after personality.

"[Sharpton] appeals to a wide majority of people," Lee said. "He doesn't appear as intellectual as others. One thing you look for in a speaker is how intelligent he is and what he's published, but you also need someone who can actually speak. We don't want anyone being bored or falling asleep in Mead."

Lee also mentioned that the committee had managed to save money this year and could potentially bring in another rather important speaker sometime in March, though nothing is set in stone.

"When we found out that Al Sharpton was available with our limited budget, we thought he would be the influential icon we were looking for to galvanize Middkids," said Diana Chiu '10, a member of the Speakers' Committee.

To determine who the speaker would be, the committee first surveyed the student body in the fall to determine who they would like to see brought to campus.

"About one-fifth of the student body answered the survey, and we chose the speaker based on the responses," said Jeanine Buzali '09, co-chair of the MCAB Speakers' Committee.

MCAB originally considered holding the event at Pepin Gymnasium, but high production costs, coupled with the College's financial difficulties, led them to choose to hold the event at Mead Chapel instead.

In the end, Sharpton was the top choice largely because of his ability to engage audiences and speak about current events and politics.

Born in Brooklyn in 1954, Sharpton was ordained as a minister in the Washington Temple Church of God in Christ at the age of ten. He is known for his belief in the non-violent philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, as well as his participation in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Though his recent bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination was unsuccessful, Sharpton has been a prominent player on the American political scene for decades.

Sharpton last sought the presidency in 2004, and prior to that, ran several times for the U.S. Senate and New York City mayor's office. Despite his efforts, Sharpton has never been elected for any position. He continues to preach and currently has his own nationally-syndicated radio talk show entitled "The Al Sharpton Show," which airs daily.

CORRECTION: January 26, 2009

The Rev. Sharpton will not receive a $40,000 speaking fee. The Middlebury College Activities Board Speakers' Committee has a two-year budget of $40,000, only part of which was used to bring Sharpton to the College. The terms of his speaking contract are confidential.