Governor Mark R. Warner urged students of all backgrounds to strive to engage in respectful and meaningful public debate, especially in light of the upcoming Virginia gubernatorial election in a speech delivered at the Class of 2007 ring ceremony Friday afternoon in University Hall.
"Public debate has become increasingly shrill," Warner said, pointing to the use of sound bytes and the practice of "demonizing [political] opponents" as examples. "You don't have to resort to the lowest common denominator in public debate."
Warner said it is a responsibility of students to consider how American democracy will function in the 21st century and strive to conduct political debates in a civil and respectful manner. Warner said individuals should be able to disagree on controversial topics without questioning each other's patriotism and moral standing.
Warner also said people should try to look beyond party lines and political affiliation in order to engage in productive political debate.
"As people, we must reject some of the biases that have grown on both sides," he said. "No one in politics has a monopoly on virtue, patriotism, and most of all, truth.
Warner said respectful debate and cooperation between individuals and organizations of opposing view points can lead to productive results, using as an example the cooperation between himself, a Democratic Governor, and a Republican Virginia Congress to nearly double state revenue between the fiscal years of 1999 and 2005.
Warner's statements were well-received by some students present and students said that they approved of his non-partisan approach in the speech.
"I really enjoyed the speech," third-year Engineering student Brian Hickey said. "I think he was very good at going across party lines, and he gave a speech that had a broad appeal to the students."
In his speech Warner also urged students not to be afraid of failure, especially in the intensely competitive atmosphere at the University of Virginia.
"While the decisions you make can have far-reaching effects, I sometimes worry that this wonderful path that you went on will make you too conservative in taking risks," Warner said.
Warner illustrated events in his life that he considers to be failures, such as failed business ventures after his graduation from law school, and his unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate against Republican John Warner in 1996.
Warner said without risking failure, he would not have found so much success in the business sector, particularly the cell phone industry and his successful run for Virginia governor in 2001.
Some students said they thought Warner's advice about enduring failures was inspiring.
"It was good to hear from [Warner] that you can always learn from your failures," third-year Engineering student Mike Pilat said.
Additionally, Warner said students have a responsibility to themselves and their friends to keep themselves safe on campus, mentioning the recent disappearance and death of a Virginia Commonwealth University student.
The third responsibility Warner said students have is to not tolerate racism and bigotry in their communities.
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