Controversial Convocation
There were three Convocations recently that caused quite a stir, and received mixed responses from students. Surprise, frustration, and excitement are just a few emotions students felt after hearing who would be speaking to them at convocation. I decided to interview a few people in my hall and hear just what they had to say.
Conservative Lily Armstrong had mixed feelings about Tomi Lahren coming to Convo. Armstrong disagrees with Lahren’s method of conveying her beliefs, as she can be rude, and disagrees with her stance on abortion, as Armstrong is pro-life, but thinks it exciting that there is someone with a platform speaking beliefs that align with hers.
About Ray Rice, Armstrong had “mixed feelings.” However, Armstrong was interested to hear what Rice had to say. Lily stated, “As Christians, we need to be open to the thought that no one is too far from God’s grace.” Armstrong is a Trump supporter, but also believes “politics ruin people and ruin relationships a lot.”
Libertarian Timothy Johnson believed that the Tomi Lahren Convo was “an ok convo, but a bad example of Liberty.” He said, “our first job is to be Christians and our second job is to show the world that we are Christians.” and, “a lot of convos have been bringing in big political names for the sake of bringing in big political names.”
However, he believed the Ray Rice Convo was “really well done.” Johnson believes Rice has repented, but LU using Ray Rice to start a conversation on domestic abuse wasn’t the best idea. He said, “I do think if they wanted to start a conversation on campus about domestic violence maybe he wasn’t the best person to bring in.”
When he first heard the lineup, Johnson said, “Oh boy, here we go again.” Referring to Friday’s upcoming Convo, Johnson wished that LU would move on from Trump and bring in different speakers from different areas and walks of life.
The third person I interviewed was Erica Broadbent, who leans conservatively, but it depends on the issue. Broadbent is a fan of Tomi Lahren but thinks she can “be a little much” and can be “very abrasive.” Broadbent also believes it is important to be equal to both sides when having conversations.
She also believes Lahren was offensive and could have done a better job when speaking. Because of these things, Broadbent thinks Lahren was not too entirely effective. Broadbent really enjoyed the Ray Rice Convo, stating that it was “handled really well” but people’s responses to him coming “got under her skin.” Broadbent, like many others, has noticed the amount of conservative speakers coming to Convo. She believes Liberty has done well with having, and handling diversity, but that they could “do better with more diversity as far as speakers and people groups.” Broadbent made an excellent point, addressing students view on convocation, “Students view Convo as church, but it’s not. Church isn’t what Convo is about specifically.”
There you have it. An honest, open view about controversial Convos. Said by students, written by a student. I hope you enjoyed getting a peek into a few student’s thoughts on convocation. If you attended convocation, I would love to hear what you thought! Let me know in the comments!
