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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Pilarz goes ‘On the Issues’

A packed room awaited the Rev. Scott Pilarz as he sat down with Mike Gousha, distinguished fellow in law and public policy at the Law School, for the most recent installment of the “On the Issues” series. Pilarz spoke about Milwaukee, the Big East, the university and its students.

Prior to becoming Marquette University’s 23rd President and moving to the fourth floor of Campus Town East, Pilarz had been an English professor-turned administrator at Georgetown University, as well as president of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Pilarz said he believes living among the students is a necessary element of university presidency.

“It is really important for me to get a sense of the realities of (students’) lives and listen to what they have to say,” he said. “It keeps me young and exposes me to musical tastes I would not have heard otherwise.”

Listening, Pilarz said, is what he tries to do every day. He hosts dinners with freshmen, alumni and faculty members from all departments. He said he wants to hear as many different voices of the Marquette community as possible — not just the loudest or most agreeable ones.

Many of those voices have been vying for Pilarz’s attention, especially in light of the recent sexual assault cases and crimes reported on campus.

Pilarz said he is willing to take into consideration anyone’s point of view in order to keep Marquette’s campus safe. Still, he was relatively undeterred by the incidents.

“Universities are an inherently messy place, but that’s also the genius of it,” Pilarz said. “We’ll never be perfect, but we’re always a work in progress.”

Pilarz referenced the email he sent out to the student body last week regarding the most recent sexual assault case, and reiterated the zero-tolerance policy for any action that goes against Marquette’s “cura personalis” philosophy. He also discussed the changes made to university policies dealing with sexual assault awareness, namely, a greater emphasis on the issue for freshmen students.

“It might be uncomfortable for them to talk about, but awareness of sexual assault is front and center for new students,” Pilarz said.

Pilarz also said a new athletic director, replacing Steve Cottingham, will also be chosen in the coming months, but he said it is too early to begin the search process. Next week, a team of three experts in collegiate sports will conduct a peer-evaluation of the athletic program, he said.

Pilarz is also working with other university presidents in the Big East Conference to address a recently announced change to its teams. Last week, Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh left the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut may follow suit.

“Pride in Marquette athletics and our ability to play on the national stage is why we are in the Big East, and I am firmly committed to keeping it alive,” he said. “I don’t think we should limit ourselves to an all-Catholic university conference.”

The conversation shifted to Marquette’s role in the Milwaukee community and Pilarz’s vision for student involvement in the city.

Community service in Milwaukee is part of the Marquette experience for many, but Pilarz stressed a contemplative approach.

“We are a university, not a church or soup kitchen,” he said. “If students are doing a good thing but not reflecting on it and understanding how to make the situation better, then we are not promoting social justice in the way a university should.”

During a question and answer portion, a mother of a senior in high school asked Pilarz how he would convince her daughter to attend Marquette over her first choice, DePaul University in Chicago. Pilarz’s response spoke to the 500-year Jesuit tradition of pursuing excellence while maintaining gratitude for your education, and a well-rounded curriculum.

Christine Krueger, professor of English at Marquette who attended the event, agreed, but turned the emphasis back to community service.

“Milwaukee probably needs Marquette more uniquely than Chicago needs DePaul,” Krueger said. “Marquette is an engine of social justice and a resource Milwaukee can’t find anywhere else.”

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