Statement about the Cancellation of Saturday’s KPU Event

KPU Supporters,

I am sure that many of you have questions about what occurred tonight as pertains to the cancellation of “They’ll Take Your Questions Now: Views From Behind the Podium,” featuring former White House Press Secretaries Ari Fleischer, Dee Dee Myers, and Mike McCurry and moderated by AU Alumnus David Gregory.

Let me begin by saying that I am deeply apologetic about and saddened by canceling the event tonight. Let me be clear however: it was the only viable course of action given the circumstances we were operating within. Because Bender Arena was still set up for a volleyball match when the building was evacuated, it would have taken 45 minutes just to clear that and at minimum another 45 minutes to set up for a KPU event, even without constructing the stage. Because we were allowed back into the building at 8:00pm, that would have made for an event start time of 9:30pm which was not viable in terms of logistics or the contracts we had signed with the speakers.

The cancellation was not something I took lightly; I did not officially cancel the event until 7:10pm when, after speaking with Director of Student Activities Karen Gerlach and Public Safety it became abundantly clear that the event could not go on given the constraints we had.

I know there are many of you that are concerned about the financial impact of this cancellation on the Kennedy Political Union. When I report to the Undergraduate Senate next weekend, I will be able to fully report on this topic.

Additionally, I know there are some of you who are concerned about rescheduling this event. This event has been booked since June, and it will be very difficult to replicate this same lineup. I will work with the bureaus over the course of the next week to see what our options are.

Please be certain that I want to hold some kind of Family/Alumni Weekend event in the future. The disappointment of alumni, family, students, and the rest of the American University community makes tonight’s events particularly painful for me. Though these events were beyond the control of me or my staff, I want to have some kind of event later in the year to make up for this one.

As I mentioned above, I will report to the Undergraduate Senate next weekend with this week’s developments. Please be certain I will pursue solutions to the problems presented by tonight’s events with the same diligence and passion for the Kennedy Political Union that I have put toward the rest of this semester’s events. With all of that said, if you have particularly pressing concerns, please feel free to contact me via the information below.

Thank you for your continued support of the Kennedy Political Union and your understanding through this difficult time.

Very sincerely,
Bill DeBaun
Director, The Kennedy Political Union
http://kpu.ausg.org
(o) - 202-885-6416

American University
Mary Graydon Center 266
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016