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Whether they’re complaining about, advocating, squeezing through or completely avoiding the soon-to-be Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Plaza behind the Memorial Union, everyone is taking notice.
The plaza is a commendable choice by the University of Maine; Martin Luther King Jr. is a fine, admirable namesake for the plaza. Set to open on Oct. 31, the project was suggested to President Robert Kennedy by Vice President of Student Affairs Robert Dana two years ago. Students, community members and even Maine Campus editorials have been too quick to scrutinize the “monument” (the first of many misinformed gripes – there will be no statue of King or his wife in the plaza) for its lack of a local touch.
“I think that a memorial should have been placed for someone from Maine, someone who has been involved with the university or someone who has made an impact directly on our state,” said Stefanie Veneziano, a second-year international affairs, anthropology and theater student.
Others, such as fourth-year new media major James Marcel, are less vehement, but still inquisitive about the nomination of King as the plaza’s focus: “He was a great man who should be celebrated, but I think it would be more appropriate to have a pavilion dedicated to someone from Maine or someone who helped this school.”
Many wish the university had chosen a more regional icon – although typically drawing blanks as to whom. A Maine Campus editorial in early 2007 suggested Reverend Amos Freeman as an alternative, a nod Dana called “an interesting point” in his Jan. 25, 2007 letter to the editor, submitting that Freeman’s “contributions were certainly significant.” I doubt I was the first to read these items and ask, “Reverend Amos who?”
Second-guessing the selection of King misses the big picture: The man is a worldwide symbol of civil rights – of equality, perseverance, and powerful, positive thinking.
“Every place has some kind of connection to the civil rights movement; Martin Luther King was the head of the movement,” said Gustavo Burkett, director of Campus Activities and Events. Burkett is on a committee of students, faculty, staff and community members that has met regularly through the plaza’s construction.
Additionally, the university has a bevy of local ties: the dozens of buildings named after local counties, tribes and alumni.
“If you just look around campus, most of the buildings are named after something that’s local. We have a tremendous population of students that is out of state and international. Martin Luther King is not just a national figure; he’s an international figure,” Burkett said.
Considering the multitude of students from out-of-state and across the globe, a plaza devoted to the internationally-recognizable MLK at UMaine is sensible.
Other misdirected complaints include an increased time in getting to class (a breezy one-minute walk to class has increased to a crippling three minutes for one concerned student), misuse of the “university’s” money when the plaza is actually privately funded, and the late start on construction. Construction began over the summer and is on schedule. Many concerned students are not aware of these facts.
“The benefits that they’re going to get from it are much larger than the inconvenience that they’re suffering now,” Burkett said.
The plaza is the first step of the university’s master plan of new memorials, renovations and modifications across campus. It will be a pleasant, open space for conversation and contemplation – in the name of a man and woman who made significant and inspirational strides in bettering the world.
Zach Dionne is Style Editor for The Maine Campus.
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