Audience members at former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's speech Thursday will be the first group able to ask unscreened questions on his tour of colleges.
Carter, who has already visited Brandeis and Emory universities, has until now only answered questions that have been through a screening process. Students at the event Thursday will be given index cards on which to write their questions, said Ambassador Edward "Skip" Gnehm, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula affairs professor, who is organizing the event.
"No one is going to look at the questions, it's not going to be censored," Ghenm said.
Carter has recently been under fire over his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," released in November. The 39th president, who served from 1977 to 1981, helped broker the Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt. In his text he hypothesizes that Israel's control over former Palestinian territories has been the fundamental roadblock to peace.
Carter has also drawn fire over his comparison between Israel and the racist South African regime that oppressed Africans during Apartheid.
Carter will answer questions in an approximately 45-minute session after he speaks for about 15 minutes in Lisner Auditorium, Ghenm said. The questions that Carter does not have time to address will be answered by posts on his Web site.
"I just had a very clear communication back (from his office) which is that he's coming because he wants to engage with students," Gnehm added.
University officials said there is space reserved for a protest of Carter's visit on campus.
"There has been one student who has requested space to protest and that will be granted, but we have to give them University space, which would be in Kogan plaza or university quad," said Tracy Schario, GW Media Relations director. A protest on city property would require a permit with the Metropolitan Police Department, Schario said.
Michael Peller, managing director of Marvin Center and University Conferences, said that the student requested a protest space yesterday. The student, he said, is affiliated with a small group of demonstrators.
Carter, who has already visited Brandeis and Emory universities, has until now only answered questions that have been through a screening process. Students at the event Thursday will be given index cards on which to write their questions, said Ambassador Edward "Skip" Gnehm, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula affairs professor, who is organizing the event.
"No one is going to look at the questions, it's not going to be censored," Ghenm said.
Carter has recently been under fire over his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," released in November. The 39th president, who served from 1977 to 1981, helped broker the Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt. In his text he hypothesizes that Israel's control over former Palestinian territories has been the fundamental roadblock to peace.
Carter has also drawn fire over his comparison between Israel and the racist South African regime that oppressed Africans during Apartheid.
Carter will answer questions in an approximately 45-minute session after he speaks for about 15 minutes in Lisner Auditorium, Ghenm said. The questions that Carter does not have time to address will be answered by posts on his Web site.
"I just had a very clear communication back (from his office) which is that he's coming because he wants to engage with students," Gnehm added.
University officials said there is space reserved for a protest of Carter's visit on campus.
"There has been one student who has requested space to protest and that will be granted, but we have to give them University space, which would be in Kogan plaza or university quad," said Tracy Schario, GW Media Relations director. A protest on city property would require a permit with the Metropolitan Police Department, Schario said.
Michael Peller, managing director of Marvin Center and University Conferences, said that the student requested a protest space yesterday. The student, he said, is affiliated with a small group of demonstrators.
