Letter to the Editor: Bourdain cost was too pricey for students

Dear Editor,

“Bourdain speaks at UMW,” read the headline across the main page of the Features section, but besides actually being on campus, it seemed Anthony Bourdain did not really have any true connection with the students.

Student tickets sold out almost immediately. The next best option, at least for a college student, was way too expensive, at around $35. To meet Bourdain was even more expensive and out of the price range for any money deprived student.

To me, this is in opposition to why our wonderful institution hosts these famous speakers. Don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful that our college can even bring in such a well-known person as Bourdain, but if our college is willing to tackle such an endeavor, shouldn’t we, the tuition payers, be able to see him?

I understand these events bring in much needed revenue to our school, but at the same time, this is an educational institution, not a business.

Education should be our main goal, not the profits gained.

Bourdain’s speech was not just entertaining, but very informative. He spoke about the wonderful and diverse world we live in—something that every student should know as our world is becoming ever more globalized.

We, as students, are here to learn and to go out into the world even more educated than when we entered college.

To put profits before education is against the very definition of who we are as a university.

Graham Givins is a sophomore