Wellpoint Chief Exectuive Officer Angela Braly’s presentation at Marquette was the campus conflict of the month. Jack Kelly made a valid point in his column on Tuesday, Oct. 13th, in saying that “dissenting opinion … is a cornerstone to human advancement.” I too, agree that listening to all sides of an argument is crucial to our betterment.

Kelly then makes another compelling argument in stating “an invitation to speak isn’t an endorsement.”

However, there are several discrepancies here. Firstly, Marquette did not only invite Braly to speak on the basis that she would share views independent of those of Marquette.

Instead, Marquette presented her as a keynote speaker at Marquette’s Business Leaders Forum. To Marquette, she is not simply a business speaker she is a business leader.

In fact, Linda Salchenberger, dean of Business Administration said, “This event provides our students … with an invaluable opportunity to interact and learn from leaders like her.”

Braly was not brought as another opinion; she was here to show our students who Marquette holds to be a business leader.

Here lies a problem. Though I fully support hearing a variety of opinions, I have a problem with a private institution such as Marquette, which holds value in service, endorsing Braly as business leader. Angela Braly has said that she “will not sacrifice membership for profitability.”

This is wrong. This is not representative of the same Marquette that exhibits the importance of service to others in its mission statement; this is representing a Marquette that’s teaching the importance of a million dollar annual salary over the consideration and service to human wellbeing.

Furthermore, Kelly’s criticisms of the protestors completely contradict his later endorsement of students and faculty voicing their opinions. He initially accuses the protestors of “devolving into disrespectful hate spewing,” yet encourages students and faculty to voice their opinions by claiming that we should “encourage discourse and debate, not wipe them out.”

In his endorsement, he also commends Marquette for “allowing students and faculty the opportunity to voice their opinions.” This is inherently incorrect. While the students expressed their concern and disapproval of Braly speaking at Marquette in a non-violent way, the Department of Public Safety stood at the front-line, with threats of arresting the students.

This can in no way be seen as Marquette allowing students to voice their opinions.

Perhaps there is a better forum to present our concerns with Marquette’s endorsement of Angela Braly as a business leader. However, I feel that the student protestors were brave in their actions of supporting Marquette’s mission statement, specifically the clause of Service:

“Marquette strives to develop men and women who will dedicate their lives to the service of others … by giving of themselves in service to those in need.”

In a month durinh which Marquette welcomed a statue in commemoration of Mother Theresa, is it also ok to raise Angela Braly as our modern day business leader and an exemplary model of Marquette’s mission statement?

Ali Clark is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences