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LOVE IS EXCEPTION MAKING 217
the best.” In New York lectures were followed by a question-and-answer
period in which Rand often participated. 6
Rand was unquestionably the dominant infl uence and comprehensive
frame of reference at NBI. Whatever subject they taught, NBI lecturers
were, by defi nition, members of her inner circle who had passed
muster and acknowledged her as their primary teacher. The Objectivist
intellectual world was developed in deliberate opposition to what Rand
saw as the dominant method (or lack thereof) in American universities.
She harshly criticized universities for their opposition to system building
and the “arbitrary, senseless, haphazard conglomeration of most curricula,
the absence of any hierarchical structure of knowledge, any order,
continuity, or rationale.” 7 By contrast, Objectivism was to be a carefully
ordered system. Initiates began with the basics and moved up to more
advanced classes as they mastered different concepts. Particularly ambitious
students in the New York area could aspire to meet with Rand personally
and participate in philosophical discussions with the Collective.
As Objectivism grew, Rand became increasingly sensitive about her
public profi le. Immediately after Atlas Shrugged was published she had
sparred with liberals in televised forums, in print, and at academic symposiums.
Now she refused to appear with others, telling an inquirer she
did not do debates: because the “epistemological disintegration of our
age has made debate impossible.” 8 Stung by years of bad publicity, by
the mid-1960s she had composed a release form to be used for media
appearances. The form required that her appearance be “a serious
discussion of ideas” and that disagreements, “if any, will be expressed
politely and impersonally.” Rand insisted that no references be made to
her critics and reserved the right to approve the exact wording of her
introduction. She was also touchy about the unexpected side effects of
her literary fame, telling an eager fan, “I am sorry that I cannot let you
take snapshots of me. I have discontinued this practice because I photograph
very badly.” When an NBI student violated this policy at a lecture
Nathan confronted the student and exposed her fi lm. 9
Far from welcoming the swelling in Objectivist ranks, Rand was
increasingly suspicious of those who claimed to speak in her name. Even
the Ayn Rand campus clubs, which germinated spontaneously at many
of the nation’s top colleges and universities, including Boston University,
Dartmouth, MIT, Stanford, and Columbia, began to bother her, for they
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