After reading Western News editor Jason Winders’ recent piece (“Try Something New, London,” Feb. 9), I was both impressed with his position and inspired.
As a city and as a campus we need leadership that is not afraid of tough questions, in fact, we must embrace them. For example, “Where will the young people work?” is both a tough question that requires a frank discussion, but it is also a great opportunity for us to realize this time is ours.
We must seize this moment in time by assessing our strengths as a city and exploiting them. We must also have to courage to recognize our blind spots.
We should encourage tough questions and tackle them head-on. In the coming years our new identity as a city and our new economy will be shaped by our response to such questions. I have always been someone who believes strongly in being part of a solution as opposed to adding to a problem.
With this in mind, I applaud Mr. Winders, for he has established a platform for discussion. I hope that as a campus and as a city we have the courage to join the conversation.
Michael Barr
HBA, 2000