Staff and students are equal in that sense. Staff earns more money, though. Approximately every other day there is a seminar somewhere on the campus where I go to listen. Famous people come here to talk. For example, on February 15 Noam Chomsky will be here to talk.
Subjects range from general issues to very technical talks.
I love both. The speed with which these people handle their issues is crushing. You can't let your full attention slip away for a moment or you will be lost for the rest of the talk. Before I came here I was very afraid I would be very dumb in comparison to the others. That turned out to be half true, half not true.