No one throws toast on Franklin Field during graduation. The crowd doesn't shout "You suck" to the graduates after the band plays the "Hey" song. There is no halftime show, no bobble-headed bizarro Quaker and no pre-gaming in the parking lot.
In fact, the people present for graduation seem mostly subdued and polite, with the exception of maybe those bastards with the air horns. Even journalist Judy Woodruff and philosopher Saul Kripke ? both at Penn to collect honorary degrees ? seemed tame compared with their normally feisty dispositions. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the celebratory atmosphere, maybe it was Interim Provost Peter Conn laying the smack down on pre-emptive applause, but this year's graduation ceremony remained dignified and respectful, which was nice.
During graduation, I sunbathed in the upper deck of Franklin Field and watched as two students unfurled a banner over the ledge that criticized Kofi Annan for his role in the Iraqi oil-for-food program. As the banner flapped in the breeze and the students struggled to hold it down, I realized two things: First, I should have put on sunscreen ? I now look like Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. Secondly, I was thankful that the students protested in a way that got their point across without being disrespectful to the graduates.
For those who disagreed with Annan's policies, there was no better graduation speaker than Annan himself. The very presence of a major world leader at graduation brought many media organizations to Penn. Through news coverage, the students who disagreed with his actions were able to say what they thought about his policies in a meaningful way while reaching thousands of people. More importantly, they opened up a dialogue which may provoke debate on Penn's campus in the future.
I'm sure Penn is already in the rough planning stages for deciding who will speak at next year's graduation. After all, it is the 250th graduating class and the 300th anniversary of the birth of Ben Franklin. It is important that we get a graduation speaker who upholds the values that Franklin wrote of in his 1749 treatise "Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania." Franklin wrote that "on Historical Occasions, Questions of Right and Wrong, Justice and Injustice, will naturally arise, and may be put to Youth, which they may debate in Conversation and in Writing."
We need a historical speaker, one who has struggled with "questions of right and wrong, justice and injustice" during a career in the public spotlight. Only one person comes to mind who fits both the educational philosophy of Franklin and the prestige needed for such an important anniversary. I want the president of the United States to speak at my graduation.
I am aware that most Penn students disagree with the current administration and would disagree with Bush as graduation speaker. Whether you agree with him or not, Bush is a dynamic speaker and a leader on the world stage. Moreover, if people who disagree with Bush treat him the way that protesters treated Kofi Annan, it would be a way to create a dialogue that would only enhance the reputation of the Penn community.
When I suggested the president to rising College senior Jaime Leggett, he disagreed with my choice. "People would just protest," he said. "Penn could be divided into the people who hate him, the people who love him and the people who don't give a damn."
Knowing the Penn community, everyone would give a damn if Bush were coming. And we should not boo or turn our chairs away or not show up to graduation, as some people told me they would do if Bush showed up. Instead, we should consider the philosophies of Benjamin Franklin. Our founder wanted to expose all Penn students to a wide variety of political and social thoughts so that they could make informed decisions about the political process.
Though many people at Penn do not agree with Bush's agenda, they do realize the enormous amount of power he has. He would certainly be appropriate for such a meaningful anniversary year. As Commencement speaker, Bush would certainly provoke "debate in conversation and in writing." It's a debate I'm sure Ben Franklin would appreciate. And if you really disagree, you can always throw toast.
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