College is a time for intellectual and experiential growth. It is a time to learn from both our classmates and those with more knowledge and understanding. It is important to remember, however, that our young University grows along with us. With our personal gains in knowledge and wisdom comes the strengthening of our community and the institution itself. The key to such collegiate growth is the presence of leaders and mentors, teachers and inspiration. To spur this growth in students and faculty alike, we must entertain more speakers and visiting professors who bring with them insight and cutting-edge ideas; we must continue to invite and attend speakers who can rally the students, excite professors and enhance our University's ability to teach.

This is an important time for our community, as there is a palpable influx in both activism and experiential learning here at Brandeis. We must continue to build upon our pool of honored guests to ensure that this continues .

Over the last year, Brandeis students have been privileged to have Governor Deval Patrick teach us about the politics of hope, a vision for participatory democracy and the public policies that will carry the commonwealth of Massachusetts forward.

We have had the distinction of speaking with Jill Stein and John Bonifaz, two candidates for secretary of state, about the importance of fair elections and political ethics.

We soaked up every word of Scott Harshbarger, former Massachusetts Attorney General and president of Common Cause, as he passionately explained the importance of young people in politics and a vision for a direct democracy.

Members of our campus shared in the experience when former President Jimmy Carter showed us the other side of a historically one-sided campus debate as well as the retort by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz.

Writers Howard Zinn, Anthony Lewis and Floyd Abrams also graced us with their passionate insight.

The tide of valuable and important speakers continues. Just last weekend, Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey spoke at the International Business School about global warming. On Sunday, Ben Brandzel, former Brandeis Student Union President '03 and current national political activist involved with both moveon.org and the John Edwards campaign showed us the great potential Brandeis gives every one of us and the steps we must take to ensure social, economic and political justice for our country.

The coming week brings a video conference with Jeffery Sachs, a leader in the effort to establish the Millennium Development Goals, who will talk about how to help us save millions of people from extreme poverty, and writer Marianne Williams, who will attempt to unify our community in solidarity around the need to establish a Department of Peace. These influential leaders are the living, breathing philosophical dreams of our great university.

All of these speakers come from different aspects of the political and activist arena to represent diverse but equally important issues. All have come to Brandeis with messages that parallel the purpose of our distinguished University: to educate students and seek the truth even unto its innermost parts.

I'd say that the majority of the students who attend these speakers will tell you they are better, both intelectually and spiritually, for it. To have professors share ideas, graduate students debate policy and undergrads discuss vision and participation with these people of great distinction is a victory for them, as well as for us.

It is time for the students of Brandeis to venture out of their rooms, the library and the dining halls and into the function rooms of Rappaporte, Pearlman, Sherman and Shapiro. All of us should listen, learn and become active in our community. It is time for the Student Union, the administration and students to work in solidarity to usher in a new generation of intellectual activity on campus. It is time to put our growing prestige to use and quench our thirst for knowledge.

Now is the time for students to step into activism and for Brandeis to step into the national spotlight. Now is an opportunity to join together, invite these leaders to campus, ask the important questions and better our college, our country and ourselves.



Jamie Ansorge is a member of the Class of 2009 and a member of Democracy for America.