On Sept. 12, the Norman Levan Center hosted the first Gadfly Café of the semester. The topic of the conversation was Education: Its Past, Present, and Future.
The event started as usual with Professor Reggie Williams announcing upcoming events.
Chairs almost ran out as students assembled, but as the conversation grew the number of people waned.
The event officially began when Williams read a list of statics that are linked to education such as voting, divorce, and finances.
The attendees rarely touched on the topic as they mainly shifted between the topics of divorce and incarceration.
The static that Williams read about divorce was; the less a couple is educated, the more likely they are to get a divorce.
Albert He, a student currently studying computer science, said the more educated a couple the more likely they are able to think rationally and able to add to a family pool. Williams earlier said a higher degree means that a person will earn throughout their career. He joked, “She’s pretty, but she’s also poor, I’m going to go for it.”

The other side of the coin is that having money can lead toward divorce. Williams joked that while couples have no money their style is “broke.” Not having any money means that people will go for what is cheaper.
Williams’ static on incarceration was the less an education someone had, the more likely they were going to get incarcerated.
Gabriel Florence said that people treated the crack epidemic as a crime, while they treat the opium epidemic as an illness. Williams remarked that it was a great point, and added that if people treated it less of a crime and more of an illness then they could be fewer people in prisons and more in rehab.
Attendees also spoke about their thoughts on education.
Gabriella Mendez said, “I really like your {Williams} class…it changed my perspective.” She has worked in the field and went to school at the same time.
Alex Razo seemingly shocked the crowd when he said education teaches one how to kill themselves faster. Razo said, “Whatever you know kill it…open your mind to new perspectives.” One’s old views must die so that one can get a new perspective.
Pete LeGrant, a philosophy professor at Bakersfield College for the past three years, said because he was not lecturing he can talk about his political views. He said he is against the mass privatization of education. He spoke of “a more perfect union,” and the “general welfare,” that is mentioned in the Preamble of the United States Constitution. In order to a achieve “a more perfect union,” the populace needs a proper education granted to them by “general welfare.” He said everyone has to pay their taxes in order to achieve it, not have the big companies to save us.
Williams said education is a “cultural luxury that we do not all have access to equally.”
The conversation ended by Williams thanking everyone that showed up and reminded them the next Gadfly is on Oct. 10