This hasn’t been a good semester for the Macalester administration. First there was the controversy over whether the Palestinian flag should fly at graduation. Initially the administration, citing United Nations protocol, said no way, no how. But after the Macalester College Student Government issued a resolution in support of a broader flag policy, and after the controversy received national attention, the powers that be had a change of heart. Within two months the administration had reversed its decision. That move was certainly good for Isra’ Muzaffar, the student who led the charge to change the flag policy. But still, it begs the question:

Why can’t the administration ever seem to make up its mind? Or, at the very least, why can’t it at least appear to be consistent?

This week we learned that the President's Office, along with the International Studies Department and the Religious Studies Department, decided to renege on its promise to fund a conference on the Mideast. Each office cited a different reason for yanking the money. President McPherson’s office expressed fear that the conference was too one-sided. Dean Samatar in International Studies felt that more time was necessary to prepare a quality symposium. And Bernie Raskas in Religious Studies said the recent spate of violence in Israel evoked too many strong emotions to allow for a level-headed discussion.

But we feel that all of these excuses can be traced to a single mindset: college officials are too wary of controversy, especially when it comes to international affairs. For a school that considers itself a haven for global debate, Macalester’s recent moves may very well signify a tendency toward excessive caution. While nobody is expecting to solve the conflict in the Middle East, the student organizers of the upcoming conference hope to encourage an active discussion. The administration fears just how active-or clumsy-that discussion may be.

Allowing such a discussion to occur now-when the world is focused on the current situation-should be the mission of any institution of higher learning. It is our duty to remain undaunted by the challenges, both emotional and intellectual, that we face.

Many Macalester students do not know the history and politics behind the current events in the Middle East. Emotions run high in this debate. Not everyone will agree with everything said at this conference, and many of us will feel hurt and angry and sad as we listen to the speakers. That is precisely why it is so important that this event goes on right now. As people are dying every day in the Middle East, we need to open a dialogue on this campus, with our friends and colleagues.