VCU magazine (1993-03)

              SPRING/SUMMER 1993 VOLUME 21, NUMBER 4
A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI OF THE ACADEMIC AND MEDICAL COLLEGE OF VIRGINIA CAMPUSES OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
Gorbachev responds to questions about the policies
ofYeltsin's government: "Our people are very
courageous--they bear up under some tremendous
pressures of this economic shock-therapy polley.
With a productivity decline of 20 percent, people'.
incomes down 50 percent, it's now like the
inflation of the '70s-inflation last year was 2400
percent, and this year it's 1 percent a day."
foreign relations above domestic affairs.
Mikhail Gorbachev strode
into the new Common­wealth
Ballroom at the
Student Commons on
April 12 to accept an honorary
degree from yco. Then he
discussed his Gorbachev
Foundation, and answered
questi9ns from the audience.
Gofbachev founded his think­tank
after the 1991 dissolution of
the o.S.S.R. "It is a nongovern­mental,
nonpolitical forum for
open debate, to help us and our
[political leaders to] find solu­tions
to problems [we face] now
that we stand on the threshold
of a new civilization."
During the reception follow­ing
the ceremony, at 7'2",
Konstantin Pepeliaev clearly had
an advantage over the crowd
surrounding the former presi­dent.
Earlier Pepeliaev, who has
been studying and playing
basketball at YCU since 1990,
had queried Gorbachev why
he'd seemed to emphasize
Gorbachev responded that had he not made substantial changes in domestic
policy, the West would never have made the changes in
foreign policy; that international leaders looked to see
change within the Soviet Union before committing to
international agreements.
The former soviet president responded to another
question about reform process by giving an overview of
the historical details and atmosphere that led up to his
policies:
"So the reforms launched in '85 weren't a result of a
'revelation of Gorbachev'. They just showed people
Business intern Boris Romashin, directly behind
Gorbachev, listens to him explain how foreign
investment will depend upon the country's situation
stabilizing, citing the differing currencies as only one
example of the items released from Pandora's box.
wanted reform. And they just had to begin-it
was inevitable. And they copld begin as a
revolution from above or an explosion of
popular discontent."
After Gorbachev had left the reception, Boris
Romashin, an intern with Virginia Power who
takes evening business courses at YCU, said he
felt more sympathetic toward him now.
"Gorbachev was speaking as a human being,
and his answers were frank," says Romashin,
who likens the Russian politician's plight to that
of former President Bush. "Many people blame
him for having concentrated on foreign policy
instead of on internal difficulties, but he really
did do both. It's hard for people to accept this,
Konstantin Pepeliaev received
Gorbachev's congratulations for
his achievements on and off the
basketball court.
so it's a popular question from Russian people."
When asked what his "real" political views were,
Gorbachev responded that political science scholars
know how to read berween the lines, and advised the
(SOIIACHIV-CUNT1NIEI IN PASE 8)
Those who were to take part in the processional assembled in the
VCU Alumni Association's new board room in the Student
Commons. Moments later, Gov. Wilder would fonnally welcome
Gorbachev as a leader of people who could identify with "our
own revolution .... [and as fighters] for suffrage and civil rights."