2008 Woodie Awards
Fox spreads "message of hope" at BVU
Lindsay Hoeppner
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: News
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Hoping to drive his message home at BVU, Fox addressed questions from reporters in a press conference prior to the panelist discussion. Questions concerning immigration, the possibility of a border separating the United States and Mexico, what hope is left for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and how he felt Mexico was betrayed by the Bush administration were discussed by Fox.
Following the short press conference, Fox joined student panelists first-year Ravi Kumar, juniors Zayra Ortiz, Angie Eischeid and Marlin Bravo and seniors Katie Luitjens and Tara Runge as well as James Hampton, professor of biology and moderator of the event, for the panelist discussion.
Many of the same issues were discussed in the press conference and the panel discussion. However, Fox's theme for the day was immigration and the looming possibility of a border of some kind between the U.S. and Mexico.
Fox wanted to be sure he was clear to the packed crowd of BVU students and professors in Schaller Memorial Chapel, as he said "I am not for open borders. I am not for illegality."
If it were up to Fox, he said he would determine which illegal immigrants have jobs in the U.S. and send back those who do not. Fox stressed how important jobs are in the U.S. for Mexican immigrants, as they are oftentimes offered jobs in the U.S. where they make nearly six times the amount they would make in Mexico. Fox also stressed that most Mexican immigrants do not make plans to stay in the U.S. forever. They would much rather be at home with their families eating tortillas instead of hamburgers, Fox said.
Instead of building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, Fox offered a much different possibility.
"We have to build bridges, not walls," Fox said. "Bridges of understanding, bridges of love, bridges of compassion."
Fox's alternative is quite different from that of Colorado Senator Tom Tancredo, a 2008 Republican Presidential candidate, who, if elected to office, plans to build a triple-layer fence between the two countries.
"Tom Tancredo. Ugh," Fox said. "He shouldn't have a Spanish last name."
Many of the student panelists were impressed with the answers Fox provided to the well-thought out questions he was thrown.
"I agree with many of the answers that President Fox gave with my main disagreement being on his views of abortion but was glad he respectfully answered that question without getting defensive or pushing his views and also seemed understanding of other views on the topic," Runge said.
For the first time in AHLS history, Fox extended his stay at BVU to hold a panel discussion for the community last Saturday morning in Siebens Fieldhouse.>
Discussing topics he touched on the day before, Fox spoke in Spanish to the crowd, which consisted of around 200 local Latinos. Scott
Richey, professor of language literature at BVU, translated Fox's speech.
The student panelists extend their gratitude for the opportunity to work with Fox.
"I thought being a panelist was one of the best experiences I've had at BVU yet," Eisheid said. "I would also like to recommend current students to apply for a panelist position for next year's AHLS speaker."
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