You'll Marry a Music Man

Congratulations to Ms. Heidi Hipp for correctly naming "Julius" by Phish as the Monday Song of the Day.

As a very recent college graduate, I am no stranger to commencement speeches. It seems that even though these speeches might often be cliche'-filled exhortations towards following one's dreams, they should not be the primary focus of the the commencement ceremony itself.

One might think that collegiate administrators charged with developing the program for their universities' graduation ceremonies would consider that idea, but lately that does not seem to be the case. In the past four days alone, there have been two separate instances of commencement speeches unfairly stealing the spotlight from the deserving graduates.

First, John McCain's speech at the commencement ceremonies of the New School in New York City was met with criticism from students and faculty members alike. Senator McCain was asked to speak by New School President Bob Kerrey, the former Democratic Senator from Nebraska.

Second, Condoleezza Rice's speech at Boston College on Monday drew the ire of students and faculty at the Jesuit institution, who protested the Secretary of State's speech by standing and turning their backs during her remarks or by the display of banners.

My problem with these two situations is not directly related to the policy decisions that these figures have made in regards to the current war in Iraq, but instead focuses on the decisions that the figures at the New School and Boston College made when they decided to invite McCain and Rice to speak.

It is important to make a college a place where the exchange of ideas is highly valued and conflicting opinions are given the opportunity to interact but is graduation the best setting for that interaction?