Faculty members and students at Boston University mourned Sen. Edward Kennedy after his death last week, praising his health care reform effort and describing him as influential, effective and genuine.
‘Sen. Kennedy’s death was truly a blow,’ political science professor Douglas Kriner said. ‘The country lost a forceful and principled voice for the underprivileged in America.’
The senator was the last surviving Kennedy brother and a tremendous force in American politics for over half a century. Many said they think his death is highly historic.
‘It felt like the end of an era,’ College of Communication junior Barrie Potter said.
Students and faculty members said they remember Kennedy’s help in integrating under-represented citizens, such as the disabled, immigrants and children, into society.
‘He believed that his first and most important purpose was to help little people with their problems,’ political science professor Christine Rossell said.
College of Arts and Sciences graduate student Sandra Daniel, who worked for a program that helps Hispanic children with their English, said she was impressed by Kennedy’s help for immigrants.
‘I’m from Georgia and we have so many immigrants,’ Daniel said. ‘It was really neat that he tried to make a better life for immigrants in the States so they’ll feel more at home.’
CAS freshman Shruti Nelamangala, who spoke highly of Kennedy’s work on people with HIVs, said she is saddened no one is carrying his torch.
‘I was in one of the FYSOP [groups] for HIV, and people talked about how he spent a lot of time thinking about HIV issues and sending help for them,’ Nelamangala said. ‘Without him, there’s really no one else advocating that.’
Students said they also respected Kennedy’s unfinished but continuing effort to push for a universal health care system.
‘If universal health care ends up going through, it would be a monumental legacy,’ Potter said.
On a personal level, students and professors described him as a caring senator.
‘He genuinely cared about the people he represented,’ international relations professor Andrew Bacevich said. ‘When individuals have problems, he responded to the needs of those individuals in a very genuine and effective way.’
BU spokesman Colin Riley said Kennedy was a good friend of former BU president John Silber and a long-term supporter of BU.
‘He was good for our students and for our financing and education and making a college education affordable and accessible,’ Riley said. ‘There’s no doubt that his passing is a sad one.’
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