The study of literature is vital to our society—and, of course, by that I mean GOOD literature.

William Shakespeare, George Orwell, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Sophocles—these guys were pretty smart. They understood human nature and psyche and wrote timeless pieces with proven relevance that have withstood the test of time and continue to teach us today.

I guess that's why they call them "classics."

That being said, I want to urge everybody to see Theatre UAF's "Oedipus" that opens the first week in April. Sophocles' masterpiece, written in about 430 B.C., still holds relevance today—perhaps more so than ever (although I could be taking things a little far).

Everyone should see it, but I especially want to urge our leaders here at the University to see it. I want to make a special challenge to Pres. Hamilton, Chancellor Jones and all the local Regents to take time out to watch the show and then think about what it means for you. To make it easy, I am giving each of them a free ticket and a personal invitation to tell me what they thought.

Oedipus, as most everyone knows, killed his father and married his mother. Thanks to Freud that part of the story has been engrained in our culture's subconscious. But that's only part of the story, and it's not even the most important part.

"Oedipus Rex" is about what it means to be a leader. Oedipus is the king of Thebes, a city plagued, destitute and pretty much full of problems.

Oedipus is a good leader. In the past he saved the city from the Sphinx, a horrible monster. He has proven himself a powerful and compassion king worthy of the people's respect and trust.

But he is finding this new problem most difficult to overcome.

In a case of life imitating art we have our own problems here at UAF. Financial woes are plaguing the campus. We have good leaders who have done remarkable things in the past and who have earned our respect. There is no denying that Pres. Hamilton has shown himself to be an admirable leader.

But he and the regents are finding this new challenge more difficult than the others.

Ultimately it is discovered that the problem is Oedipus himself. He is the cause of the plague and, by decree of the gods, the only means of a solution.

The play is labeled a tragedy, but I see it as a heroic tale. Oedipus proves himself to be the greatest leader, willing to sacrifice himself for the good of his kingdom. He could have denied his culpability, assassinated the naysayers and continued to fix the problem's symptoms rather than the source.

But he didn't. He stood tall, took the blame, gave up his life of luxury and exiled himself because he realized that he was the problem.

What a leader! Do we have similar men leading us today?

Are Hamilton, Jones and the regents willing to admit that maybe they are part of the problem? And are they willing to make tough decisions for the good of the University?

Do we really need a chancellor if we already have a president? Can we eliminate that level of the bureaucracy? Do we really need to pay these men as much as we do?

Hamilton once said that he would be willing to work for $1 if the legislature would fully fund the University. The legislature didn't and so Hamilton received his $250,000 salary.

Why don't you put your money where your mouth is president? Prove your muster; give up your salary for a year as a good will gesture. Don't just use the offer as a political ploy, but really do it because you love this university and are willing to sacrifice for it.

I know these decisions sound hard, but good leaders have to make hard decisions. That's what literature teaches us.

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