Check out the USF speakers for the lecture series... Jerry Springer, Spike Lee,

[Belle of the Bull]

i think spike lee has some very interesting things to say about race (blackness and whiteness and that space in between) and also culture in america. I don't always agree with him but I have seen him speak before and he is very interesting. More importantly - he (well not just him but so called controversial figures- ann coulter would also fall in this category) sparks debate and prompts people to talk about this kind of stuff which i think is a discussion worth having. isn't that the mission of a university? Shouldn't we encourage each other and our students to form opinions about this kind of stuff and talk about it? ULS is great because it allows kids and the community to see people who have different views than they might have - that coupled with things that they learn in the classroom and their personal experiences should allow for interesting and lively discussions. As someone who has sat on ULS boards 2 or my 4 years at USF - I can say that I have recommended speakers ranging from Rushdie to Scott Ridder to Ann Coulter. Variety is a good thing. Some may even say it is the spice of life! 

[EduBull]

So what's the purpose of the lecture series?  If it's just to provide entertainment to students, then that speaker list seems fine.  If it's to promote scholarship, well...

Jerry Springer?  Give me a break.  Spike Lee?  Would have been great to hear fifteen years ago.  The Barber brothers?  I'm sure they've got an interesting story and are fine people, but university lecture series speakers?

[Belle of the Bull]

as someone who was on the board while at school i probably should have a really good answer for ya. but i don't. My understanding was that ULS is a school sponsored program to bring quality speakers to the university that are free to students and the tampa bay community. we encouraged teachers to encourage students to attend if the topics were relevant to the class that they were teaching. For example - Bill Bennett camea a few years ago. He was an OK speaker but thats beside the point. He was entertainment for some and was integrated into class discussions for some professors/teachers. I am sure Jerry Springer would be interesting to discuss in a communication or mass communication class. and he serves as an interesting thing to do for others.

To use a more relevant example from my place of employment - Bill Krystal came to Iowa and I made my students go see him as did Howard Zinn so that we could talk about what they had to say, how they constructed their arguments, how they market themelves etc. Iowa also brought Paul Kruegman (NYT Op Ed guy) this fall. I viewed it as entertainment and a fun evening out with my boyfriend rather than an academic experience but there were others that planned on discussing him in class and made their students go so that they could participate.

I dunno - I hope I helped to answer your question. If there is someone else that is familiar with ULS please chime in. I love that USF invites interesting people to speak. and yes - spike was great - i saw him a little under 10 years ago

[SixtySix]

Spike Lee?  An accomplished director (many, many years ago) who is a professed black racist?

And both of those guys are hyper-liberals.  NOT impressed, I hope USF can do better than these two clowns.

care to explain exactly what Spike Lee has said or done that is "racist," big guy?

"hyper-liberal" or not, they are succesful individuals.  shouldnt their SUCCESS be the prime factor, not their political ideology?

of course, if Jerry Springer is a "hyper-liberal" in your book, then nothing left of Adolf Hitler or Bill O'Reilly would be acceptable to u.

Do you remember last year when Ann Coulter came to USF? The College Dems tried to boycott her off campus. As much as success should be the focal point, it rarely ever is.

Are you serious? I thought Democrats were the only ones who were open-minded and understanding of others' opinions.  :

Opinions matter when it comes from a credible source, Ann Coulter is not. I for one though do respect her right to freedom of speech, and would grant that constitutional right to any one, really. But, I do not respect the fact that she has plagiarized numerous articles as well as voted twice in the same National election. This is followed by her lack of morales when choosing to attack groups - specifically the widowed victims of 9-11. For being the ultra neo-nazi conservative voice of the Republican party, Fox has surely picked a winner...

Again, I may just be one of those crazy liberals :

[nobull.Bulls]

Im not a liberal, and can tell you ann coulter i likes to piss off liberal people.

I think the reason her and others (like the crazy condemning guy outside cooper allowed on campus) is to stir up the students and try to get them active.

  So bring whoever, although Jerry Springer is a little odd.

[hbryan]

Opinions matter when it comes from a credible source, Ann Coulter is not. I for one though do respect her right to freedom of speech, and would grant that constitutional right to any one, really. But, I do not respect the fact that she has plagiarized numerous articles as well as voted twice in the same National election. This is followed by her lack of morales when choosing to attack groups - specifically the widowed victims of 9-11. For being the ultra neo-nazi conservative voice of the Republican party, Fox has surely picked a winner...

Again, I may just be one of those crazy liberals :

Yep, sounds about right!  Conservative - Nazi, sounds like you meet all the prerequisites. 

[Paisa el Toro]

Variety is a good thing. Some may even say it is the spice of life! 

Cha-ching! Get folks from all over the sociological spectrum  to speak, and let the students decide for themselves whether they agree or disagree with the speaker's message. Provide the individual with options and leave the choice to them.

[Jamie]

By the way, there's a big difference between being open-minded about who speaks on your campus, and actually going to listen to what they have to say.

If the College Dems actually did try to get Coulter thrown off the ULS, that's bad form.

[alumna1210]

By the way, there's a big difference between being open-minded about who speaks on your campus, and actually going to listen to what they have to say.

If the College Dems actually did try to get Coulter thrown off the ULS, that's bad form.

They really did try. The staged a walk-out during her lecture, and before she even came on campus, they were passing out fliers telling people not to go see her.

[Jamie]

By the way, there's a big difference between being open-minded about who speaks on your campus, and actually going to listen to what they have to say.

If the College Dems actually did try to get Coulter thrown off the ULS, that's bad form.

They really did try. The staged a walk-out during her lecture, and before she even came on campus, they were passing out fliers telling people not to go see her.

That's dumb, even though I think she's a complete waste of matter and a poster child for why people can't discuss politics rationally anymore. Don't go, or at least picket outside. You'll still get your point across and achieve your goal - to get yourself in the newspaper.