American University prides itself on having highly involved students, who heavily involve themselves in the plethora of student organizations here. Each of AU's 5,866 undergraduates is required to pay $73.50 per semester ($147 annually) for an "undergraduate activities" fee. This money is used to fund our student groups and clubs, such as the Alternative Break club, Mission Improv-able, Treble in Paradise and the National Conference on Organized Resistance. Wait, what was that last one? That's right; NCOR is not only a recognized American University "club," but it is funded by YOUR money, to the tune of $4,500, with only LASO and the Queers and Allies receiving more. The fact that NCOR not only received any student money, let alone the third-highest allocation, is disturbing on multiple levels.
Before I go any further, let me stress that my opposition to NCOR is not about politics, and this isn't just the ranting of a disgruntled conservative who disagrees with NCOR's politics. I could write a book on my oppositions to NCOR's general ideology, but my criticisms here have nothing to do with its political ideas. I, as a conservative here, am a vocal minority, and if I were to oppose NCOR for being a vocal minority, I would not be writing this.
Raise your hand if you can tell me how many events NCOR had here at AU last year. If you said one, you win... the pleasure of having NCOR back on campus again. NCOR, for those who are new here or have subconsciously removed all memories of last year's horror, is an annual conference that has been held at AU since 1998. They hold workshops, invite speakers and disseminate leaflets that support various liberal causes. So far, so good, right? Wrong! Would you believe that approximately 90 percent of the attendees at NCOR are NOT American University students? Or that they harass students for meal swipes into TDR or for being "fascist?" How about the fact that they have broken into closed Greek chapter meetings? They have also caused damage here at AU, including extensive damage in MGC.
You may be wondering how NCOR got so much money if they are such a bane to most AU students. Well, in a funny coincidence, not one, not two, but FOUR NCOR members sit on the AU Club Council (including its president), which divvies up our student activities money to the over 150 clubs here on campus. This blatant cronyism is unfair to the other groups here on campus. After all, how many other groups here on campus only have one event all year, and one that's not even for the vast majority of AU students?
Due in part to the intense antipathy that NCOR faces from the general student body, they have decided to hold this year's conference March 9 through 11. OK, so let's say that despite everything you've heard about NCOR, you decide to attend the conference; after all, your money's helping pay for it. But then you notice the date March 9. Notice anything odd about it? In yet another "coincidence," that's the last day we have classes before Spring Break. Almost every student here is leaving D.C. that Friday as soon as classes get out, and will be unable to attend NCOR. If NCOR truly deserves $4,500 from AU students, shouldn't they at least hold their ONE event on a weekend when most of us won't be leaving AU?
My fundamental problem with NCOR isn't its politics (although a bunch of anarchists organizing a conference is at least a little ironic), the fact that it meets at AU, or even necessarily that we students help fund it, although none of those reasons endear them to me. The real issue is that if we are going to host a conference and help subsidize it, shouldn't it be a conference that has mostly AU students attending and that most AU students CAN attend? Well, that does make sense, but then, this is Washington, D.C., where the mayor can get caught on camera doing crack and still be elected to public office again. If NCOR wants to have an annual conference, fine. They have that right. But don't make AU students foot the bill and host it when it's not even a conference for them.
Furthermore, several organizations that recognize the various issues with having NCOR on campus have requested an open forum for the campus community to have a dialogue concerning this matter. NCOR has not yet replied.
Caleb Enerson is a sophomore in the School
of Public Affairs and a conservative columnist
for The Eagle.
