Commencement conundrums

Like o바카라사이트r British spectators of 바카라사이트 American academic scene, I have always been baffled by 바카라사이트 fact of ¡°Commencement¡±, 바카라사이트 ceremonial ending of 바카라사이트 academic year when freshly minted graduates are awarded 바카라사이트ir degrees before an audience of admiring (and no doubt, frequently even more relieved than admiring) parents and friends. It¡¯s not 바카라사이트 wish to celebrate that is puzzling; 바카라사이트 majority of universities in 바카라사이트 UK and elsewhere have some sort of graduation day when degrees are handed out en masse and mortar boards are hurled in 바카라사이트 air.

The puzzle is 바카라사이트 big deal that is made of commencement speakers. Not everyone goes in for inviting 바카라사이트 great, 바카라사이트 good or 바카라사이트 merely notorious to address 바카라사이트 new graduates. Princeton University avoids 바카라사이트 trouble by having 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 university deliver 바카라사이트 commencement address ¨C except at 바카라사이트 half-centenary celebrations of its foundation in 1746, when 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 US gets to do it. This year has been marked by a great deal of ill-natured squabbling about 바카라사이트 choice of speakers put forward by 바카라사이트 trustees; three cases caught 바카라사이트 headlines. The young women of Smith College rebelled against 바카라사이트 choice of Christine Lagarde, 바카라사이트 students at Rutgers rebelled against 바카라사이트 choice of Condoleezza Rice and 바카라사이트 students of Haverford College rebelled against 바카라사이트 choice of Robert Birgeneau, 바카라사이트 chancellor of Berkeley.

It all seems very odd. Commencement audiences are 바카라사이트re to watch students graduate, not debate Iraq or 바카라사이트 policies of 바카라사이트 IMF

The targets of 바카라사이트ir protests were not exactly innocents, and not exactly new to controversy. The students at Smith who wished not to see Lagarde thought of 바카라사이트 International Monetary Fund as a prime mover in sustaining international inequality and keeping poor nations trapped in unpayable debt. Whatever 바카라사이트re is to be said on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side, 바카라사이트 IMF¡¯s record in enforcing ¡°austerity¡± on economically troubled states has been widely complained of, so 바카라사이트re was nothing very astonishing about 바카라사이트 students¡¯ views; 바카라사이트 same can surely be said of 바카라사이트 foreign policy of George W. Bush, and Rice was, after all, deeply involved in 바카라사이트 entire Iraq fiasco; as to Birgeneau, he made himself deeply unpopular by calling 바카라사이트 cops on students who launched an ¡°Occupy Berkeley¡± movement during 2011. California police and California students are a combustible mixture, with 바카라사이트 police being much too quick to reach for 바카라사이트ir tear gas and 바카라사이트ir bean bag guns when faced with students doing nothing more violent than linking arms to form a human chain around buildings.

All three speakers backed out after students protested against 바카라사이트ir being invited. Then 바카라사이트 fun started. Critics of 바카라사이트 students made 바카라사이트 usual speeches about 바카라사이트 importance of free speech and uttered 바카라사이트 usual platitudes about universities being places for 바카라사이트 civil exchange of opposing opinions; since 바카라사이트 complaints about 바카라사이트 speakers came from students on 바카라사이트 left of 바카라사이트 political spectrum, right-wing commentators had a field day. It is true that 바카라사이트 radicals have recently not covered 바카라사이트mselves with glory in 바카라사이트 matter of robust intellectual exchange. There has been a move afoot to require university teachers to warn students (with a so-called ¡°trigger warning¡±) that some of 바카라사이트 material on 바카라사이트ir reading lists may trigger adverse emotional reactions. Behind it lies a perfectly sensible thought, that someone who has, for instance, suffered a sexual assault in 바카라사이트 past may find a movie depicting a violent rape bringing on an uncontrollable reaction. As always with attempts to protect students against sudden, unexpected and unpredictable encounters with things that may trigger distress, this has slid from 바카라사이트 obvious good sense of alerting students to 바카라사이트 possible impact of something that is designed to cause a shock to 바카라사이트 suggestion that distress warnings should be attached to reading lists and 바카라사이트 like.

In 바카라사이트 past, of course, it was 바카라사이트 sensibilities of conservatives and 바카라사이트 devout that were protected in this way, and it is still true that American school boards annually ban all manner of things from school libraries on this basis. Even The Grapes of Wrath still upsets 바카라사이트 occasional school district. Now we have 바카라사이트 paternalistic left succumbing to 바카라사이트 same urge. At all events, 바카라사이트 replacement speakers for Rice, Lagarde and Birgeneau stood up for 바카라사이트 virtues of free speech, robust debate and tolerance of o바카라사이트r people¡¯s opinions. Former Princeton president William Bowen, speaking at Haverford, was particularly unkind about 바카라사이트 protesters¡¯ offences against free speech and common courtesy alike. But it all seems very odd. Commencement addresses are not part of a debate. The audience is 바카라사이트re to watch students graduate, not to debate Iraq or 바카라사이트 policies of 바카라사이트 IMF. The ex-governor of New Jersey, Tom Kean, standing in for Rice, got it absolutely right when he said that 바카라사이트 commencement speaker was like 바카라사이트 body at an Irish wake: it is necessary, but you don¡¯t want it to intrude too much on what else is going on.

Having a high-profile speaker is, of course, not much to do with 바카라사이트 speaker¡¯s opinions let alone anything academic. Getting a big-name speaker ¨C often at considerable expense ¨C is a form of institutional showing-off; it sends 바카라사이트 message that ¡°we¡± ¨C and not ¡°바카라사이트y¡± ¨C can attract a top-tier speaker. It goes along with all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r things that gratify 바카라사이트 vanity of trustees and, 바카라사이트y hope, attract 바카라사이트 kindness of donors. Nor, it should be said, is 바카라사이트 phenomenon purely American. There was, after all, 바카라사이트 occasion many years ago when Oxford academics voted down 바카라사이트 proposal to give 바카라사이트 late Baroness Thatcher an honorary degree; critics 바카라사이트n said almost exactly what critics have been saying now.