Former U.S. Surgeon General Speaks at RIT, March 28

Former U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders will address the community during a presentation at Rochester Institute of Technology's Ingle Auditorium, Student Alumni Union, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28. The event, part of RIT's Horton Distinguished Speaker Series, is sponsored by RIT Student Government.

Elders, U.S. surgeon general from 1993 to 1994, was dismissed from her post due to her outspoken opinions on condom usage, legalization of drugs and other controversial topics.

In 1987, then-governor Bill Clinton appointed Elders as director of the Arkansas Department of Health, making her the first black woman to hold that position. In 1993, Clinton, then president, nominated Elders for the post of U.S. Surgeon General.

However, her support for sex education, distribution of condoms, abortion rights and the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes drew opposition from conservatives in Congress and around the country. In 1994, she was asked to resign from her position and, soon thereafter, returned to a teaching position at the University of Arkansas Medical Center.

Tickets—$7 for the general public—are available at RIT's candy counter and game room starting March 14.

For more information, call RIT's game room at 475-2239.