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Clarence Thomas to teach seminar on
Constitution
By Nicole Stanley
Collegian Reporter
Senior Raeleen Kasinec called her parents
as soon as she got the news. Senior Ryan Williams, stunned,
hit the send button and accepted the invitation immediately.
They had just received the news that Supreme Court Justice Clarence
Thomas is visiting Hillsdale College, and they are on the invitation
list.
Thomas agreed to offer a one-week seminar
on the Constitution beginning Feb.9. The course will be offered
as a one-credit elective course for both history and political
science majors.
Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court
in 1991 by former president George Bush to replace Thurgood
Marshall. His appointment was heavily contested, and his term
has proved to hold the same controversy. Thomas' opposition
of affirmative action, his support for limited government, and
his vote that ended democratic candidate Al Gore's chance of
defeating President George W. Bush in the 2000 general election
continue to be challenged.
Associate Professor of History Mark Kalthoff
said Thomas' decision to teach a course at Hillsdale was probably
based on his acquaintance with college President Larry Arnn
and his previous experiences with the college.
Thomas has been to the college twice before,
once for the spring convocation in 1994 and again in 2000 at
Arnn's inauguration.
This time Thomas' visit will be more personal,
and he requested that course enrollment be limited. Arnn, Provost
Bob Blackstock, Associate Professor of History Tom Conner, Professor
of Political Science Mickey Craig, Kalthoff and Assistant Professor
of History Paul Moreno formed the committee to decide which
students would be eligible to participate. Invitations were
sent to approximately 20 upper-level students based on their
previous performance in class, their score on the LSAT, and
whether they want to attend law school.
"It's my view that there are many qualified
students both in terms of ability and interest," Kalthoff
said. "But if we allowed everyone qualified to enroll,
it would be over 150 students-which couldn't be a college class."
Kasinec was one of those invited to enroll
in the course, and she said she is excited to be chosen and
is working to take full advantage of Thomas' instruction.
"Just to be in the same room as Clarence
Thomas is probably one of the best opportunities of my life,"
she said.
Senior Betsy Foster, a political science major,
will also participate in the course, and she said she thinks
it will be a good culmination of her political internship on
the House Judiciary Constitutions Committee and her previous
classes at Hillsdale.
Williams said he hopes this is a chance to
see a more "candid" Thomas.
"The inner workings of getting a majority
out of nine differing opinions on the Supreme Court surely dictates
some measure of reserve I hope Justice Thomas will shed in the
classroom," he said.
It has not yet been determined whether Thomas
will speak publicly on campus.
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