Nadine Strossen, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, will be speaking March 23, through the sponsorship of the Kennedy Political Union, Women & Politics Institute and the Student Advocacy Center.
KPU, AU's student-run speaker series, will welcome Strossen to Ward 1 at 7 p.m. The event is cosponsored by the College Democrats and the Department of Information Technology of the Student Confederation, AU's student government.
"[Strossen is] another step along a very good journey for KPU this year," said SC President Nick Terzulli. "I think she's an excellent choice to come in and speak."
The event was organized by KPU Deputy Director Nick Thorpe, the first that he has organized since starting at KPU during his freshman year. Thorpe is hopeful that Strossen will discuss several issues revolving around civil liberties, he said.
"The topic's going to range around how our civil liberties can be protected in this uncertain world and time," Thorpe said. "Hopefully she'll touch on a lot of these issues."
Strossen became president of the ACLU in 1991, as the first woman to head the organization. She is a professor of law at New York Law School, as her position with the ACLU is a non-paid, volunteer post, according to the ACLU Web site.
Originally from Minneapolis, Strossen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard in 1972 and Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School in 1975, according to her biography on the ACLU Web site.
She practiced law for nine years in Minneapolis and New York City before becoming a law professor. She is married to Eli M. Noam, professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business and founding director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information.
Strossen has made over 200 public presentations per year, which includes 500 campus visits and trips to many foreign countries. Her book "Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex and the Fight for Women's Rights" was named "a notable book" by The New York Times in 1995.
Thorpe is looking into her book being for sale during her speech. The sale would be coordinated with the Campus Bookstore, Thorpe said.
"I know the bookstore's for it," Thorpe said.
Strossen will be presented under the "normal KPU standard" as she is expected to speak for 30 to 45 minutes and will be followed by questions from the audience for 30 to 45 minutes. The question and answer section will allow the audience to actually talk to Strossen.
"We will be using microphones so people won't have to write their questions on note cards like at regular KPU events," Thorpe said.
The event will be the second KPU speaker for the month of March, as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will be speaking in Bender Arena on March 18 as part of KPU's 35th Anniversary.
