Pepperdine Engagement a Starr-Crossed Affair?

What seemed a marriage made in heaven, or at least the next best place--the rarefied, coast-hugging confines of Pepperdine University in scenic Malibu--may now be a relationship on the rocks.

In February 1997, independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr, the son of a Baptist minister and a one-time candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court, announced that he was joining the university as dean of its law school and fledgling School of Public Policy--a move students predicted would bring prestige to the campus and change its misguided reputation as surfs-up Malibu U., the rich kids’ playground by the sea.

What a difference a year makes.

These days, as Starr’s investigation into President Clinton’s relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky drags on, and as the ever-stern-looking Starr’s reputation continues its sound public beating, some of Pepperdine’s 700 law students are doubting the wisdom of making him King of their Hill.

Students say the continued public criticism of Starr as a right-wing zealot out to bring down the president at any cost, and questionable moves such as subpoenaing Lewinsky’s mother, may eventually reflect badly on Pepperdine itself.

They cringe at receiving unflattering e-mail, letters and calls from friends and family, pointing out the most recent perceived Starr faux pax, such as the recent New Yorker article saying that the 51-year-old prosecutor was beginning to “look more and more like Elmer Fudd” with popularity ratings approaching “those of Saddam Hussein.”

“This whole thing has dragged on so long, and the longer it goes on, the sillier he seems to look,” said 27-year-old Junga Kim, a third-year law student from San Francisco.

Mimi Phukan, 24, a second-year student from Anchorage, said: “A lot of people are having their doubts. Many don’t want him to come anymore. They think he’s setting a bad example with all this business in Washington.”

Starr last year postponed his arrival at Pepperdine to pursue his investigation into business, legal and ethical dealings in Clinton’s Arkansas past, known collectively as the Whitewater case. The prosecutor is now investigating whether Clinton had a sexual relationship with Lewinsky and tried to hide it by asking her to lie under oath.

Pepperdine spokesman John Secia said Wednesday that the university is willing to wait for Starr. “Nothing has changed,” he said. “He will decide the time, and we support his decision.”

Some students are also sticking by Starr, saying the reasons he was chosen--as a first-rate scholar with political acumen honed by years of experience--won’t be changed by any go-for-the-throat Washington spin and political mudslinging.

And the last chapter in the Starr investigation has yet to be written, they say. If he indeed does find wrongdoing that could drive a president from office, he may one day be seen as an American hero.

“He’s a scholar and longtime judge, and that’s how we refer to him around here--Judge Starr, not Ken Starr. To compare a man like that to Elmer Fudd is just ridiculous,” said law student Scott Van Camp of Westminster.

Many students--worried over whether they will be able to parlay their legal education into a well-paying job--once believed Starr’s selection would translate into better opportunities for them and respect for the school.

Now they’re not sure.

“We were all so happy at first,” said Sung Lee, 26, a second-year student from Los Angeles. “Ken Starr was the savior who was going to change this school’s reputation forever. Now people say he could change it forever, all right. But not in the way they hoped.”

Particularly irksome to some Pepperdine students is the media portrayal of their school. Many stories have wrongly painted the university in a cartoonish light as a moneyed bastion of conservatism, they say. Most offensive were the Doonesbury comic strips in which the school was represented by two surfers standing on the beach.

While many acknowledge that conservative values permeate their campus, students say Pepperdine is simply a great place to get an education, Ken Starr or no Ken Starr.

Undergraduates are required to attend a weekly convocation at the Firestone Fieldhouse, which opens with a prayer and includes topical speakers. Dancing was banned on campus until the late 1980s, and drinking is still taboo.

In keeping with Pepperdine’s “Christian values,” students say, the law school fosters a more cooperative, less confrontational atmosphere than other law schools.

This year, the school’s dispute resolution program was voted first in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, which judged the school in the third of five tiers of law schools nationwide--up from the fourth tier last year.

Still, the little comments come.

“It’s hard to avoid,” said law professor Tim Perrin. “My brother is a lawyer, and every time he calls he has to get in a few Ken Starr one-liners.”

Law student Brandi McKay says she can’t watch the news with friends without hearing snide remarks. “They’ll say, ‘Hey, Brandi. There’s your future dean, ripping into the White House staff again.’ It gets so old after a while.”

In line with their training, the law students say they are not getting caught up in the innuendo. Just show them the facts, they say.

“The bottom line is what eventually happens with [Starr’s] investigation,” said law student Heather Price, 23, of Bakersfield. “If he turns up something that impeaches the president, he could be seen as a hero.

“If it’s all just negative, the school is the loser.”

Many students say they’re doing just fine under the interim law school dean, Richardson Lynn, and what they call his open-door policy. Some don’t care if Starr ever shows up.

“If it’s going to take a lot more time, I don’t know whether it’s worth waiting for him,” McKay said. “Maybe we should move on and choose somebody else who’s a lot less . . . infamous.”

Added Julie McCormick: “I don’t think any of us are holding our breath waiting for Ken Starr.”