I have been misinterpreted, misquoted, accused of wrongdoing, and slandered the past week or so. I write this letter to make my position clear and the THE TRUTH to be heard.

I am not opposed to Minister Farrakhan speaking at NIU on Jan. 30. I NEVER said this, as others claimed. I am glad we live in a country that gives its citizens the right to freedom of speech. I would never change this.

This is not only a Jewish students’ concern, as was printed in The Star on Jan. 18. I have been contacted by many students opposed to the funding. This is a concern by many NIU students, as has been shown recently.

I do not feel student fees should go for any racist, bigot, religious, or anti-semitic speaker. I stand strongly against racism!

This is not a fight against the BSU, but against the funding sources, especially the SA Executive Board, who went behind the SA Senators’ backs to approve the allocation of $4,000 to the BSU. This seems questionable. The board said it was impossible to call a meeting before break, or between Jan. 10-16, when it was heard funding might be needed by Jan. 16. On Jan. 21 we called one in six hours. Were they worried the Senate wouldn’t have allocated the money like they did? Did they have ulterior motives and political moves? They were wrong.

I do not like being called a racist just for opposing use of student fees to pay Farrakhan’s $12,000 fee. Unlike what the BSU President, Chris O’Banner, was quoted as saying in the Jan. 24 edition of The Star there was no ulterior motive in the Jan. 19 meeting between BSU, Hillel, and SA members. The SA Senate Speaker John Fallon called the Jan. 19 meeting.

I was invited to discuss where “I” was coming from and also to hear the BSU side. I am open-minded. No deal was made at the meeting except to have a meeting to plan an open forum after the lecture which has since been cancelled by the BSU. If they thought a “DEAL” was made, what meeting were they at? In The Star on Jan. 18 the headline was “Court asked to waive fee.”

The BSU knew about the petition I filed with Sen. Brad Strauss before the meeting started. They can’t deny that unless they don’t read The Star.

I think the negative publicity has helped ticket sales, unlike what the BSU President said in The Star. Due to the publicity about Minister Farrakhan, the whole campus has heard of him. That is the power of publicity I guess. Now 15 people on my floor are attending the lecture who wouldn’t have attended without the publicity.

I hope Minister Farrakhan’s appearance goes smoothly.

Jordan Kagan

SA Senator and Hillel Member

Freshman

Business