Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Senator to discuss U.S. policy in Darfur at U. Oklahoma
By Julianna Parker
Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
02/23/2006

(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. — U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn will speak on the University of Oklahoma campus Thursday about the United States' policy options in response to the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Coburn, R-Okla., will be the featured speaker at an event titled Instead of Mourning Another Genocide, Why Don't We Stop One?

The event will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Beaird Lounge of Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Students for Action in Darfur (SAD), a bipartisan student group, is sponsoring the event to raise awareness for the ongoing genocide in Sudan.

The College Republicans, Union Programming Board, Young Democrats and the president's office are also co-sponsoring the event.

SAD has been lobbying the senator since the group was formed in April.

Coburn has said he is concerned about the genocide in Sudan and has been supportive of SAD and its goals, said Hossein Maymani, founder of SAD and biochemistry senior.

"Since [we contacted him], he's been really active about making [the genocide] an issue," he said. "He's really passionate about it."

The goal of the event is both to raise awareness about what is happening in Darfur and to show students that they can do something about it, Maymani said.

"The reason why I started this organization was because we wanted to see action; we're not just bleeding hearts," he said.

Allen Hertzke, political science professor and director of the Religious Studies Program, will be the first speaker at the event. He said he will speak about the history of the conflict in Sudan. Students from SAD invited Hertzke to speak because he has studied and written about the issue in the past, he said.

Coburn will follow Hertzke, speaking about the United States' options in responding to the genocide.

A question and answer session will follow in which attendants can ask questions about the genocide or general legislation.

"It'll be an opportunity for students to interact with their senator and learn about general current event issues as it pertains to the Senate," he said.

SAD is trying to raise awareness on campus about the genocide and get more students involved in providing a solution, Maymani said.

"It's important to get the word out and raise public awareness," Cato said.

The group spoke to student organizations and greek houses this week about the genocide in Darfur, he said. The OU community has been very supportive, he said.

"Once they actually realize what we're for ... they begin to open up," Maymani said. "I believe anyone has the capability to sympathize with the issue once they understand what's going on."

Raising awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur is very important, Hertzke said.

SAD has been a national forerunner raising awareness and campaigning for change, Cato said.

SAD members are currently obtaining signatures for a petition to prohibit any OU endowment money from going to businesses that deal with Sudan, said Bailey Cato, political science and criminology junior.

Cato said SAD members hope Coburn will also sign the petition when he comes to campus.

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