Students hike in En Geddi during the January Israel trip. The experience inspired some students to start a club to discuss issues of the Middle East on campus.
Anders Kiledal | Collegian
Inspired by a recent 10-day educational trip to Israel, Hillsdale students have founded a group to raise awareness about Israel and the Middle East on campus.
“This is somewhere that students can come with their questions and discuss with other students in a way that doesn’t coddle, that doesn’t privilege one viewpoint over the other unless that viewpoint can make its case,” club president senior Colin Wilson said. “Our Hillsdale education gives us a very good toolkit from which to analyze these issues from both a political and ethical framework. And so I don’t think it’s necessary to censor anything.”
The club’s founders are discussing chartership of their new organization with the deans. If it receives an official charter, it will attempt to provide a forum for education and discussion of American foreign policy in the Middle East as well as the region’s political, cultural, and religious dynamics.
Wilson said while the the initiative for starting the club came from the Israel trip, the organization should not be thought of as an essentially pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian group but as acknowledging the complicated situation in the Middle East.
Wilson, who participated in the Israel trip, was inspired by the Philos Project’s suggestion that students start clubs for the promotion of the ideas and issues they had encountered in their travels.
“I’m not the most media savvy person, but what I’m good at is organization and writing long emails,” Wilson said. “So I figured, why not.”
Club secretary sophomore Michael Lucchese, also an Israel trip participant, said he feels the club will fill an absence on Hillsdale’s campus.
“I’ve seen this problem a lot with Hillsdale students in particular,” he said. “We know domestic policy to a certain extent. We can explain philosophical ideas about the nature of government and so forth, but on specific foreign policy things, very, very, very few people here know anything, and I think that this is a really good way to get people talking about that.”
Wilson said the organization will focus on discussing the Middle East, holding talks by visiting experts, and promoting student writing on issues. This will include helping students pitch and write opinion pieces for The Collegian as well as for the Philos Project’s publications and contacts.
For Lucchese, the club also represents an opportunity to recognize that understanding these issues comes from discourse and debate.
“We can bring in speakers from both sides, and not necessarily put them in conflict but discuss the complexities and consider solutions that are humane and take into account the differing factions in everything,” he said.
Hillsdale’s Institutional Advancement Vice President and General Counsel Robert Norton will serve as the organization’s faculty adviser. Norton participated in the Israel trip as a chaperone. He said via email he was impressed by Lucchese’s and Wilson’s dedication and passion on the trip and is glad they are trying to promote the region’s significance on campus.
“I am happy to assist them any way I can,” he said. “Already they have shared ideas with me that show promise to make this club a valuable addition to campus life, while providing a link to a special place half a world away.”
Students interested in participating can look forward to a campus email announcing its complete charter, which will include more information. Wilson said there will be a need to fill officer positions, media coordination roles, graphic design positions, and others.
