Commencement speaker slams graduating seniors

Parents Forum
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<p>Well, here’s something you don’t see every day. William Bowen, President Emeritus of Princeton, used the occasion of being awarded an honorary degree by Haverford College to publicly slam graduating Haverford College students as “immature” and “arrogant.” Bowen’s surprisingly intemperate remarks were occasioned by earlier efforts of a small number of Haverford students and faculty to prevent former UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgenau from receiving an honorary degree from Haverford. The protestors objected to Birgenau’s alleged role in police violence against UC Berkeley student protestors, actions that the Haverford protestors deemed inconsistent with Haverford’s traditional Quaker values of non-violence. About 50 Haverford students and 3 faculty (the faculty all UC Berkeley alums) had signed a letter calling on Birgenau to apologize for his role in the violence at Berkeley. Birgenau apparently took offense and turned down Haverford’s invitation to receive an honorary degree. Bowen rose to Birgenau’s defense in the most public way possible, calling out the Haverford protesters at their own graduation.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20140517_Haverford_College_commencement_speaker_lambastes_students.html"&gt;http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20140517_Haverford_College_commencement_speaker_lambastes_students.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>My family and I were eyewitnesses to this bizarre spectacle because our elder daughter was among the Haverford graduating class—not among the protesters, but not entirely happy about her college awarding an honorary degree to someone whose actions seemed so contrary to the college’s professed values, either. Her most fervent hope was that the Birgenau controversy would just go away and not mar her graduation, and she was hopeful that would be the case after Birgenau withdrew. But Bowen brought it back front and center, and made it the dominant theme of the graduation ceremony, much to our daughter’s dismay.</p>

<p>I’ve attended many college and university graduations, both as a student at various stages and as a faculty member. I’ve never witnessed a commencement speaker lash out as harshly and negatively at the graduating students as Bowen did. Perhaps even more bizarrely, Bowen was not even a major speaker; he was one of 3 persons awarded honorary degrees (Birgenau would have been the fourth, had he accepted). The usual convention is for those awarded honorary degrees to make a few mild and non-controversial remarks, recognizing that the commencement exercises are not really about them, but about the graduating seniors. Some of those in attendance applauded Bowen’s diatribe; perhaps 10% of those in the audience gave him a standing ovation. Not a single one of the students did, and probably most among both students and audience were in the same boat we were—stunned to see a commencement speaker overturn the decorum and celebratory mood of the day by publicly lashing out at the graduating seniors. </p>

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<p>In my opinion, Bigenau missed a great opportunity to turn his appearance at Haverford into a “teachable moment.” He should have attended the graduation and met with the students who objected to his receiving the honorary degree.</p>

<p>Not many people on this forum will remember Herman Kahn, author of “On Thermonuclear War,” “Thinking about the Unthinkable,” and a dozen other books on war, economics, and other subjects. A proponent of the U.S. government thinking of the use of thermonuclear weapons as the most appropriate deterrent in this era, he later founded the Hudson Institute, a prominent conservative think-tank.</p>

<p>Needless to say, when Kahn was invited to be the commencement speaker at Reed College in 1965, he seemed the most unlikely of speakers for that predominantly left and liberal student body, including some who were pacifists and many who didn’t like war and weren’t about to consider that there could be a “just war” and especially not a “just” reason for using nuclear weapons. Kahn wasn’t proposed for an honorary degree, just as a speaker, which is, however, generally considered an academic honor.</p>

<p>But invited he was. I was in that graduating class. There was a strong protest by students seeking to rescind the invitation to Kahn. But Kahn came up with a brilliant “solution.” He would come to Reed a week before graduation and would engage with students in a series of discussions and seminars. They would talk about and debate “Thinking about the Unthinkable,” war and morality, and other subjects, very much in the style of Reed conferences (seminars). One thing about Reedies is that they are passionate in the pursuit of knowledge. Many on the campus spent a couple of days in serious discussions about war and morality, the real challenges of international politics in the thermonuclear era.</p>

<p>Kahn earned the respect of many students for his willingness and ability to engage students in this way. Very much in the Reed tradition, we talked about things that made us uncomfortable, and we learned from it. Kahn gave his commencement speech. Some students boycotted the commencement. I attended it. I and many others respected Kahn for how he had handled the controversy.</p>

<p>Maybe Haverford wasn’t smart enough to find a work-around, to use the occasion of a protest to enlighten people, and to give their invited speaker a chance – and a challenge – to explain himself. Maybe Bigenau wasn’t as smart as Herman Kahn, or as open-minded as Kahn was in turning the controversy into an opportunity for dialogue.</p>

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<p>I guess Lt. Pike was unavailable! </p>

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<p>Fwiw, the OP report of the story seems to miss one element … that was included in the Philly.com</p>

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<p>“I think that Birgeneau, in turn, responded intemperately, failing to make proper allowance for the immature, and, yes, arrogant inclinations of some protestors,” Bowen said. “Aggravated as he had every right to be, I think he should be with us today.”</p>

<p>Read more at <a href=“Haverford College commencement speaker lambastes students”>Haverford College commencement speaker lambastes students;

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<p>another take on the controversies: <a href=“Swarthmore, Haverford and 'Disneyland liberalism'”>Swarthmore, Haverford and 'Disneyland liberalism';

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<p>I’m starting to wonder why everything now has to be tainted with politics. A graduation is a celebration of a milestone- the achievements of a group of young people about to embark into full adulthood, and naturally, many of them are not there yet. So why, on this day, is there a need to criticize them for what they are not, instead of congratulate them on what they have done. Can’t we just cheer for a group of not yet mature, idealistic, and not all with the same opinion, students for the hard work they did to get their degree? </p>

<p>Yes, I too care about the state of our environment, human rights, who our leaders are, but just like there is a time and place to discuss and act on these things, can there be a time and place to suspend them?</p>

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<p><a href=“At Haverford College grad, speaker William Bowen gives views on Robert Birgeneau protest. - YouTube”>At Haverford College grad, speaker William Bowen gives views on Robert Birgeneau protest. - YouTube;

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<p>Well, you could change the sentences a bit and see that the speaker did … criticize them for what they are AND for what they have done. And justifiably so! After all, the students did start the troubles by arranging a protest against Birgeneau and acting like prosecutor, judge, and jury! </p>

<p>A commencement is not only a celebration for the years in college but also a ceremony that marks a commencement in the … real world. A world where people might not be as charttable in measuring the contributions of the young, and might not be as prone to always chalk disturbances and errors of judgment to youthful naiveté and exuberance. A world where graduates have to function as adults and remain respectful of treaditions, including the ones their bleeding hearts might not agree with! </p>

<p>Right or wrong about the exact timing, the speaker delivered a message that needed to be heard. </p>

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<p>Perhaps introducing controversial topics at a large diverse assembly just isn’t a good idea at all. Maybe after seeing all the controversy over graduation speakers this year, the colleges will consider simply issuing diplomas and congratulating students. If they want to introduce students to topical issues, the speakers can come to campus at different times. </p>

<p>If student are indeed unable to remain civil during discussions of topics they don’t agree with, then this is a problem that should be addressed long before graduating them. </p>

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<p>First, congratulations to your daughter, bclintonk.</p>

<p>Second, I am sorry her graduation ceremony was tainted this way. We had George Shultz (ironically, he is mentioned in the attached article) at mine during the Reagan years. Even back then there were protests and many who felt he was a poor choice for such a non-controversial, non-political event as our graduation. I really don’t find it all that impressive for colleges to score big name speakers for graduations anyway–why not just have a beloved professor or administrator there?</p>

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<p>How many speakers are political? It’s a huge number. Geez, my older D’s school has the current president. LOL. It’s not her year, though.</p>

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<p>If you think about it, most if not every person who is in the CURRENT news has to be be somewhat controversial. In a country hopelessly divided along two political lines, there will always be malcontents. The same could be said about foreign affairs or especially social freedoms. </p>

<p>One issue, however, is about the freedom of the SCHOOLS to choose whomever they darn please for the ceremonies. Students who picked the schools four or six years ago should also trust the school enough to select appropriate speakers. After all, it is not as the students had much of a vote in the selection of teachers, and THAT issue should be a lot more problematic, and especially in terms of social and political leanings. </p>

<p>And, fwiw, it is often extremely instructive if not exhilarating to listen to people with whom one does not agree much. Years ago, I had the fortune to attend a meeting with former President Clinton, and it will forever remain tatooed in my head, and positively to boot. I still find few reasons to agree with him on countless issues, but I am sure happy I had the chance to meet and listen to him IRL. </p>

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<p>I think celebratory occasions should remain so. Lots of great speakers even those whom are controversial can curb their own political agendas for a special event. A great speaker (and person) thinks of his audience and not himself. If the speaker had problems with the school, their actions, the students, etc he shouldn’t have accepted the degree nor the speaking opportunity in this venue. There are plenty of other forums to speak without ruining a special moment and milestone for many. There is time and place for everything</p>

<p>But–it is sad that speakers are being protested/shouted down by students who don’t necessarily speak for a majority. Makes me wonder if they’ve learned anything in college. Their lack of tolerance for opinions different than their own is very disheartening.</p>

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<p>Everything is controversial these days. But, I watched the video. If that’s all there was, it wasn’t much and ruined nothing. Maybe, there was more. I don’t know.</p>

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<p>actingmt, did you read the OP’s description of the event as it happened? It did seem to put a damper on the festivities for actual people who were there.</p>

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<p>Well, it is immature to protest against unfounded allegations instead of facts.<br>
I couldn’t find any proven much less an alleged role in police violence that he had that these students were whining about. But maybe my Google powers are weak today.</p>

<p>From wiki:
"Chancellor Birgeneau sent a letter, dated November 7, 2011, to the campus community stating "Any activities such as pulling fire alarms, occupying buildings, setting up encampments, graffiti, or other destructive actions that disrupt with anyone’s ability to conduct regular activities – go to class, study, carry out their research, etc. – will not be tolerated. </p>

<p>"Later in the day, Chancellor Birgeneau issued a statement saying “it is unfortunate that some protesters chose to obstruct the police by linking arms and forming a human chain to prevent the police from gaining access to the tents. This is not non-violent civil disobedience.”</p>

<p>“By contrast, some of the protesters chose to be arrested peacefully; they were told to leave their tents, informed that they would be arrested if they did not, and indicated their intention to be arrested. They did not resist arrest or try physically to obstruct the police officers’ efforts to remove the tent. These protesters were acting in the tradition of peaceful civil disobedience, and we honor them.”</p>

<p>Oh, the monster!! (rolls eyes)</p>

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<p>Sally, yes I read it. The reason I read it was because early this morning I saw an account of the situation that was overwhelmingly positive citing his standing ovation. So, it was interesting to see how differently these things are perceived. Then I watched he video. For me, if that was all that happened it was a whole lot of not much. </p>

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<p><a href=“Occupy U.C. Berkeley Protesters Face Violent Confrontation With Campus Police (VIDEO) | HuffPost San Francisco”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost;

<p>Watch the video and decide for yourself whether the students linking arms were violent or the victims of violence.</p>

<p>I think that the “list of demands” they sent to Birgeneau was a bit much, though. Asking him to engage in discussions with them while on campus would have been reasonable.</p>

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<p>That’s the point, that what is offensive to one person isn’t to someone else. Perhaps graduation isn’t the place to call out students, but another assembly can be held for that purpose, and also for bringing in speakers with different points of view. </p>

<p>Graduation brings a large, diverse, multigeneration group together. It would be impossible to not offend someone, and maybe there’s a point to not risk offending someone or calling out the students in front of their family.</p>

<p>Yes, it seems as if everything is political. Student protests aren’t new, but what is new is the vast amount of information available to investigate about anyone, so there are lots of oportunities to disagree on something. Maybe it’s time to just do away with the speakers and just congratulate the students. </p>

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<p>Why is that relevant? Where is the proof that Chancellor Birgeneau had a role in this? Was that his voice which gave the “attack” order at 0:06 in the video? (the point when the police got violent?)</p>