OPINION: ULS events are more enjoyable for students when less political
‘The Office’ actors Katie Flannery and Leslie David Baker visited USF to speak about their careers at the University Lecture Series (ULS) on April 11.
There were 226 students who pre-registered for the event, making it one of the more noteworthy ULS events to date, according to an April 10 article by The Oracle.
USF should focus its attention on hosting more relaxed ULS events instead of political ones, as students are more engaged when fun speakers attend.
ULS is “designed to develop intellectual potential and present interesting and relevant information on a variety of scholastic and community-oriented interests,” according to their about page.
With the ULS’ goal being to present speakers that are geared toward community interests, the series should include more speakers that students want to hear from.
George Floyd’s aunt, Angela Harrelson, and cousin, Paris Stevens, arrived at USF on Jan. 19 and spoke about black oppression and activism. Only 65 students attended the event.
During the event featuring Flannery and Baker, the two gave comical responses to serious questions.
“When Flannery said she would tell Meredith to not drink at work, Baker said he would actually advise Stanley to drink at work, producing laughter and applause from the crowd,” according to an article from The Oracle.
This large discrepancy in student participation has made it clear that USF should revise the way they recruit ULS speakers and instead recruit more speakers that do not speak about politics.
If USF wants to get more student engagement, it should focus on hosting more fun, lighthearted events, rather than pushing politics.
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