PROHIBITED

After two months of anticipation and uncertainty over waitlists, Lehigh students, staff and community members filed into Stabler Arena Thursday night for one of Lehigh’s most distinguished guests.

But The Brown and White didn’t get a seat. 

All media coverage, aside from Lehigh University Communication and Public Affairs Department, was prohibited, for the first time in Compelling Perspectives history. 

This semester’s Compelling Perspectives welcomed former U.S. President George W. Bush to speak with University President Joseph Helble, ‘82, over the year’s topic, “Bridging Divides: Democracy, Civic Service and Leadership for a Shared Future.”

For an institution that prides itself on championing free thought and inviting a former President representing the U.S. Constitution, this situation feels deeply hypocritical. 

Bush decided it’s necessary to lock out the press, and therefore limit free speech. And by agreeing to those terms, the university abandoned its own standards for a big, flashy guest.

There are no avenues for productive dialogue, the whole premise for the series. 

Lehigh sold out.

According to Lehigh’s website, Compelling Perspectives began in 2023 and “encourag(es) open conversations and model(s) respectful discourse on challenging topics.” 

Previous speakers include guests spanning the political spectrum, such as former UK Prime Minister Teresa May, Leon Panetta, former U.S. Secretary of Defense (now Secretary of War) and Senator Dave McCormick (R). 

In each of these cases, The Brown and White were welcome and invited to report, and did so. This time, the same invite was not provided. In fact, it was explicitly written in invitation emails that the event would be off the record and closed to the press.

According to an on-the-record meeting between The Brown and White and Brett Ludwig, vice president of communication and public affairs, all questions were pre-submitted and selected by Helble. After the event, a media packet would be shared to the Lehigh University Communication and Public Affairs Department for reporting.

The Brown and White’s presence may have posed a threat to Bush, fearing coverage could paint him in a negative light. 

That fear isn’t irrational. 

To be clear, The Brown and White is a nonpartisan publication. Readers have various beliefs spanning the political spectrum, which are featured through editorials, edit desks and letters to the editor. Since it was announced Bush would be coming to Lehigh, The Brown and White has shared these perspectives, many of which are negative. 

In Bush’s section of the Compelling Perspectives website, Lehigh praises his trade agreements, response to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 and his initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS and malaria. Students and staff have expressed discomfort with the way Lehigh has highlighted Bush’s accomplishments without acknowledging any of his criticism. 

On Wednesday morning, the Office of the President released a statement and video regarding Bush’s arrival on campus, and how Lehigh should be inviting various speakers onto campus, especially in recent years. 

“American higher education is criticized for no longer being open to a range of perspectives and viewpoints, for being unwilling to engage in thoughtful discussion,” Helble said. 

In email correspondence with The Brown and White, Emily Collins, a Lehigh media relations specialist, said the video, seemingly targeted towards backlash against former President Bush’s arrival, was “planned and produced over the last several weeks.”

Pre-approved questions and a sanitized media packet after the fact isn’t transparency, it’s control. Without un-biased reporting on the event, those outside the venue will never know what truly happened on Lehigh’s campus on Thursday. 

Compelling Perspectives began and ended with the people who had the privilege of winning the ticket lottery. If, and only if, people decided to adhere to the no-phone policy.

Maybe that was the goal all along.