outside the lecture hall. If the Universih’rnreaches this eouclusion, it is entitled tornimpose a mandatory fee to sustain anrnopen dialogue to these ends.”rnJustice Kennedy’s opinion did implyrnthat a university could still run afoul ofrnthe First Amendment if it did not exercisern”viewpoint neutrality” when fundingrnstudent polidcal action groups. His messagernto the plaintiff students was apparentlyrnto request funding to combat offensivernspeech with speech more to theirrnliking; if they were still denied funding,rntiien they could come back to the federalrncourts. A century and a half ago, whenrnChief Justice John Marshall decided thernDartmouth College case, he preventedrnthe New Hampshire legislature from interferingrnwith the college because hernthought that it would be wrong for institutionsrnof higher learning to become embroiledrnin partisan politics. Marshall’srnsuccessors seem to believe that partisanrnpolitics is more or less “the ver’ goal thernUniversity .seeks to pursue.”rn— Stephen B. PresserrnVLADIMIR P U T I N ‘ S presidentialrnelection victory on March 26 was hailedrnby businessmen both East and West as arnnew beginning for economic reform inrnRussia. One German executive praisedrnwhat he called Putin’s “open, friendly attitude”rnto investors, while others longedrnfor Putin to become a Russian Pinochet,rna strongman who would use an “iron fisfrnto force reform. The “national patriots,”rnthe loose alliance of communists and nationalistsrnwho had decried the “anti-people”rnregime of the Yeltsin years, are in arnstate of shock. The People’s PatrioticrnUnion has all but dissolved, some of itsrnmembers having opted to back Putinrnrather than the coalition’s candidate.rnCommunist Party leader GennadirnZyuganov. Zyuganov himself campaignedrnquite cautiously, rarely criticizingrnPutin personalK’, appearing satisfiedrnthat he had somehow kept the party together.rnAfter all, Putin’s actions inrnChechnya, his talking back to the West,rnand his promises of law and order madernhim a difficult target for the “patriots.”rnI’he Russian public sees the confident,rneven cocky, little man as their best hopernfor the rebirth of a great Russia.rnThere are, however, some facts thatrnwill likely queer the pitch of any Russianrnleader with visions of a rebirtii of Russianrngreatness dancing in his head. For instance,rnriicre can be no rebirth of a greatrnRu.ssia witiiout the birth of Russians. OnrnMarch 22, tiic Russian State StatisticsrnCommittee issued a report on the “socioeconomicrnsituation” in the RussianrnFederation and the situation is not good.rnIn January 2000, there were 195,500rndeaths and 9^,900 births. (The numbersrnwere 178,200 and 94,500 m Januaryrn1999). Thus, the mortality rate was nearlyrn11 percent higher than one year ago,rnand tile birthrate continues to drop. Accordingrnto the report, “the natural decreasernin population (the number byrnwhich deaths exceed births) stood atrn103,600 in Januarv 2000, compared torn83,700 in January 1999, which meansrnthat this index grew by 23.8 %.” Meanwhile,rnthe number of marriages decreasedrnby five percent in the past yearrn(54,300 m January 2000, compared torn57,200 one year ago) and the number ofrndivorces increased by 23 percent (44,400rncompared to 36,000). Life expectancyrnfor Russian men has dipped below 60, alcoholismrnis rampant, and drug abuse isrnincreasing, as is the incidence of suicidernand abortion. The army is having difficultyrnfinding enough healthy conscriptsrnto fill its already understaffed units, whilernthe cream of tiie Russian military is di.sappearingrnas casualties mount in Chechnya.rnRussia, to make a long story short,rnlooks like an exhausted, aging, sick conn-rn”The college education I never had.”rnThat’s how more than one reader has described Chronicles: A Magazine of AmericanrnCulture. Chronicles makes an ideal gradnation gift, both for the stndent abont tornenter college and the one embarking on hi.s career. And right now, when yon giverna gift snbscription to someone else at onr special introductory rate of only $19, yourncan renew your own subscription for only $28 ($11 off of our normal rate). So dornthe student in your life a favor-and save some money as well.rnPlease enter the following gift subscription. JrnSend Chronicles as my gift to: Your information:rnNanu-rn.AIICIKrnNaiiicrnAdiiirnCity/Stalc/Zip (;ilv/Slalt’,”Zi[)rn• I have entered a gift subscription for $19. Please renew my subscription at the low rate of $28.rn(I have enclosed a check for $47.)rnTo order by credit card, please call 1-800-877-5459 |rnPlease make check payable to Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture,