We here at Pipe Dream realize that it’s been a rather slow semester so far for all the liberal activists out there. With the noticeable lack of hate symbols or messages appearing around campus since the fall, and no student groups inadvertently violating and insulting the heritage/beliefs of another student group, all of those soap boxes and bull horns are getting pretty dusty.

But rest assured, BU, for we have stumbled across the latest event to cross that fine line of humanitarian decency and shock even us (yes, Pipe Dream is a bit outraged) into wanting to pull out the old activist signs and sing ‘We Shall Overcome’: our campus Events Center has agreed to host an evangelical event showcasing the Rev. Franklin Graham in late June.

For those of you who don’t know (plenty of us didn’t either), Franklin Graham is the son of well-known outspoken evangelical minister Billy Graham, and apparently he shares his dear old daddy’s views on plenty of things ‘ views that make us want to drop our jaws in shock and cry out to the heavens, ‘Why, oh why, do thoughts like this still exist in a progressive, fairly intelligent, modern world?’ (For details in just what kind of hate this guy spews, see the story on Page 1.)

Now, don’t take anything we’re saying the wrong way. We have always and will always advocate free speech. We understand Graham’s right, venerable minister that he is, to voice his hatred whenever he wants, no matter how ridiculous and offensive we find it. (Our personal favorite is his belief that AIDS is the Almighty’s way of wiping out the homosexual population. Next he’ll be telling us that coed dorms are a sin!)

And yes, we agree that it is not only appropriate but preferable for an institution of higher learning to welcome a multitude of views, which is the defense employed by University spokespeople when asked why they are allowing such outdated nonsense to be spewed on our campus.

But just because he has a right to say it doesn’t mean that we have to be happy he’ll be saying it here. As far as we can tell, BU students don’t gain a thing from Graham’s visit to campus, and he won’t be opening intellectual discourse, unless we all want to start talking about how such antiquated ideas can still be brought into today by so many people. (This may be the one unintended benefit of this whole fiasco.)

There are plenty of other venues that could have hosted the Rev. Graham, and done so without putting BU’s reputation on the line while welcoming a man who most likely believes that 99 percent of our student body will be burning in hell before the century is up.

So let’s all stop pretending that this is about expanding our views and opening up new intellectual discourses, and call a spade a spade. This is about money, pure and simple. The Events Center certainly isn’t cheap, and we’re guessing the Rev. Graham’s visit will put quite a large wad of cash right into Baxter’s pocket.

The University is selling out any principles they may have held in encouraging Graham’s own breed of Bible-quoting discrimination for a quick buck.