La Voz

La Voz Weekly Editorial Board Front row from left: Tim Nguyen, Loriza Sasur and Nicole Moreno Back Row from left: Chris Marks, Faezan Hussain, Thomas Guffey and Robert Erdei Not pictured:Brian Oden

Students pass by the fortress like Flint Center every day, giving it only a quick glance on the way to class.

Non-students enter the exclusive auditorium every month to listen to the words of notables such as Bill Clinton, Colin Powell and Rudy Giuliani, as part of the Celebrity Forum Speaker Series.

The Celebrity Forum markets itself exclusively to the wealthy community around De Anza College, while depriving students of an exceptional educational opportunity on campus.

That's because the Forum requires attendees to purchase season tickets of $250 to $350 per person. Put another way, seating for one season costs close to what a full-time student pays per quarter in tuition and fees.

On speaker nights, the Flint Center fills up with graying, wealthy, non-student patrons, many of them in their late 50s, clad in expensive suits and feather boas. They park their luxury sedans in student parking, creating traffic gridlock for students on campus, before and after every speech.

Since the Celebrity Forum uses facilities on a college campus, it ought to contribute to and participate in students' education. Selling single-speaker tickets to De Anza students, or at least offering student rates on season tickets would be start.

Even a $50 single speaker ticket, although pricy, would begin to make events student-friendly. No student discounts on educatinal events on campus is unacceptable.

"Students can join just like anybody else," Dick Henning, the Celebrity Forums founder, said in a phone interview. But clearly, most De Anza students aren't in the same financial league as "anybody else."

Students should demand that Flint Center better serve them. The Board of Trustees should insist that students be allowed this incredible educational opportunity. Students should be encouraged to hear the great people of their lifetimes speak on campus. De Anza's students deserve no less.

Unless the Celebrity Forum intends to serve the needs of students, it has no right to call De Anza College its home.

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