Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) told students to think critically and challenge stereotypes to be a good leader. Lesson learned: students did as he told.
For each issue the governor mentioned as a guest speaker for a leadership and advocacy course yesterday, students challenged his ideas and repeatedly fired questions critical of his views on race and tuition.
The discussion sometimes got heated, almost like a campaign debate, in which students grilled Ehrlich about his dismissive response to questions about multiculturalism and high tuition bills.
“No, I think you’re missing the point,” Ehrlich told a student in response to the 30 percent increase in tuition in recent years. “For the best education, Gov. Michael Steele’s race and his bid for U.S. Senate.
Ehrlich said Steele was a perfect example of challenging stereotypes by being a black Republican. Natasja Holben, a student in the class and a senior English major, agreed with Ehrlich, saying government cannot move forward by electing a typical politician.
Lee Fang, president of the College Democrats, also questioned Ehrlich about a comment he made on a radio show in May last year that multiculturalism was “crap.”
Ehrlich reiterated his same stance by replying, “I’m not interested in separatists movement.”
But some students said they were the most angered when Ehrlich didn’t respond directly to their questions about higher education and tuition prices. Ehrlich dismissed students’ concerns that tuition was too high at the university, citing some private high schools are more expensive.
“It is still the best deal in education,” said Gerry Evans, an instructor and a friend of Ehrlich’s for the past 20 years. “I know students don’t want to hear that because it has risen so rapidly.”
When Tim Hiller, a sophomore microbiology major, asked Ehrlich if he was going to stop tuition increases, the governor didn’t answer and refocused the conversation on leadership.
“I was hoping he would be candid and take accountability that he was responsible for raising tuition,” he said. “He was avoiding the issues we wanted to talk about.”
But Senate President Mike Miller spoke frankly about higher education, saying the Ehrlich administration wants to push public higher education into privatization.
“They want to turn this university into Duke or Harvard,” Miller said. “Those who can’t afford it, they fall by the wayside. We got a little budget surplus this year. [Ehrlich’s] got the funds to do it, the power to do it, and I believe he will do it.”
Miller called the talk a “lively exchange,” and Ehrlich said he enjoys listening to students. He challenged students with the same intensity they challenged him with, many times cutting them off and raising his voice.
“Typically college students are a little more to the left,” Ehrlich said after the class. “When it comes to race, everyone gets real sensitive real quick.”
Holben said Ehrlich was open to answering most questions students asked, and it was interesting to hear the viewpoints from the governor himself. However, most of Ehrlich’s lessons on leadership – go against the mold or challenge assumptions – weren’t too unique, she said.
“It was relatively generic and could have been referred to most things,” Holben said.
Evans said he was excited to see students critically engaged with Ehrlich. “He took the toughest questions,” he said. “He’s not going to get any tougher questions on the campaign trail than he did today.”
Contact reporter Laurie Au at lauriedbk@gmail.com.
