BRITTANY YEAROUT
News Assistant
School of Law alumnus Pierre Prosper brought his campaign for the Republican nomination of Attorney General of California to the College Republicans on Wednesday, Jan. 11, and won their commitment to help for his election.
“The problems that we see on this earth today are huge,” Prosper said in his speech to the group. “They are too big for government.”
Prosper spoke on the students’ responsibility to help address these problems, no matter what profession they choose to pursue after college.
Prosper, who graduated from Pepperdine in 1989, was introduced at the College Republicans’ event by Kenneth Starr, dean of the Law School, as a “great American story.”
“He has the most astonishing and complete record of law enforcement and prosecution of any candidate in the history of California,” Starr said. “He is superb, and he is a great human being with a great heart for service.”
Prosper began his career as a trial lawyer in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and was recruited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles as a federal prosecutor. He was then asked to be the chief U.S. prosecutor for Rwanda War Crimes tribunal to deal with the genocide and is now a retired Ambassador-at Large for War Crimes Issues.
The genocide in Rwanda was a terrible policy and moral failure on the part of the United States and world community according to Prosper.
Prosper became the pioneer who brought justice to distant parts of the globe, according to Starr.
“He bravely, in very difficult circumstances, brought criminal prosecutions against those who were responsible for the genocide in that poor country and secured the first conviction in the history of Human Rights of rape as a crime against humanity,” Starr said.
Prosper said it was great for him to come back to Pepperdine, the place where his career began.
Pepperdine helped him understand the importance of public service, leadership and impacting the world.
“What I loved about Pepperdine was that they cared,” Prosper said. “I ended up building a lasting relationship with the professors here because they cared about my progress, and this is why I came back because people mentored me and they continue to mentor me today.”
Prosper said he only began to fully appreciate the impact his professors had on him until he graduated and began looking back to them for guidance.
According to Prosper, California needs someone who will begin to pay attention to the threats that this state may face,the problem of porous borders, and the proliferation of gang-related crimes.
“I am different from the other candidates because I am the only one that has done this,” Prosper said. “The others are career politicians. They haven’t been on the front lines dealing with crime. They haven’t been in a situation where they have had to wear bullet proof vests. They haven’t been in a situation where they have been surrounded by gun fire or had there homes shaken by bombs like I have in Rwanda, in Iraq and in Afghanistan.”
The College Republicans, the largest student organization on campus, has more than 600 members. Pepperdine’s chapter is the largest in the state.
According to Katie Vaughan, president of the College Republicans, their purpose is to find a candidate who they believe in, who has the goals of the Republican Party and a heart for service.
“We are really involved and I think a lot of people in the party recognize that we may be students, but students are the future,” Vaughan said. “Politicians like Mr. Prosper love young people because voters love young people, and donors love young people. So they just use the College Republicans to get the word out, we are like a little army.”
The College Republicans group promoted Governor Schwarzenegger’s propositions to Malibu homes by going door to door campaigning. They have promised Prosper that they will do the same for his upcoming election.
The primary election will be on June 6, followed by the General election Nov. 14.
Prosper applauded the Republican group for their dedication to the political process.
01-19-2006