OPINION - Why Weren't Students Involved in Hillary Clinton's Recent Queen's University Event?
Eoin McCaul
Last Thursday, Queen’s University Belfast hosted an evening with Hillary Clinton where she was interviewed by US Consul General in Belfast and former US Department of State's Director for Press Operations, Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau.
Queen’s Vice-Chancellor, Ian Greer, introduced the event by stating the university’s commitment to “facilitating debate and discussion” but there was little in terms of debate offered over the 40-minute interview.
The discussion was entirely pre-recorded, removing any chance for audience interaction or questions to be put forward by viewers, let alone students. There was scarcely a line that wasn’t read off a page and Trudeau herself was a former staff member of Clinton’s so offered little challenge when it came to the questions posed.
For an event hosted by a university, there was no involvement with the students that make up the institution whatsoever. It felt like little more than a PR event for the former Secretary of State to justify her appointment as Chancellor which has raised controversy among some of the student body.
Queen’s University Belfast’s Students’ Union voted last year to boycott any events involving Clinton and turned down the invitation to this event.
Its president, Grian Ní Dhaimhín, told The Scoop that it did so because “many of her actions as US Secretary of State and policies as a US Presidential candidate do not reflect the policies and values of the Students’ Union” adding that she hopes “students have a say in future appointments to the Chancellorship so that all students and staff can enthusiastically engage with events such as these in future.”
Having seen the event, it seems like students outside of the Students’ Union body were not approached to take part either.
On the agenda were the challenges facing the Biden administration, diversity in politics, and the ongoing situation here in Northern Ireland. After Belfast saw some of the worst rioting since the Troubles in the lead-up to this event, Clinton emphasised the “very deep” connection between the US and Ireland.
Clinton was appointed Chancellor in January 2020
She added that the Biden administration “will be very attuned to what’s happening here” and is fully committed to the peace process, ready to play a constructive role in addressing the trade problems caused by Brexit that have led to the recent rise of tensions.
Clinton also addressed the role of diversity in politics and expressed support for the current administration’s desire to create a cabinet that “looks like America” by encompassing people from the different ethnic groups that make up the country.
Advocating for women to play a larger role in politics she said that “women’s voices and women’s experiences are not an add-on… they’re necessary” and spoke positively of the fact that the two main parties here are now led by women, something hard to have imagined twenty years ago.
If only the stage could have then been opened up to the women who attend this university and will be the leaders of the future because I’m sure they would have had plenty of questions to pose that would have led to a more interesting discussion.
Instead, the exclusion of student interaction from this event made it feel like nothing more than a glorified press release. Just as Clinton’s appointment as chancellor was made without the consultation of the students, this too felt like an event organised without a thought given to those who fund the institution with their tuition fees.
Eoin McCaul is a first year PPE student at Queen’s University Belfast