Reflection: IU Commencement Ceremony
I would like to begin this reflection with a back story so that my full frustration is understood.
Back during the Fall Semester, the Kelley School of Business appointed retired 4-Star General, Peter Pace, to it’s Poling Chair Position. Basically the position, funded by private donations, is a two year appointment for an individual who is highly qualified to speak on subjects such as leadership.
Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with Gen. Pace, there is no better candidate for such a role. He was the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (nation’s top general) from 2005 until 2007. He also holds two awards for valor. Clearly he is a man who can speak to Business students about leadership and ethics.
However, because General Pace, in defending the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy, made some personal remarks that he apologized a few days later for. Yet, when General Pace came to speak in Bloomington and April last fall, the protestors in the Bloomington were out in force.
The FACULTY of Indiana University on February 17th on a day which I said was the “first time in my life I regret my choice of Bloomington as a school,” passed a resolution of regret over the selection of General Pace to the slot. One of the IU law professors (Alex Tranford) stated that as a result of the symbolic act of selecting General Pace, “we need a similar symbolic act.”
Well they got it on Saturday. The speaker of the ceremony was recently retired Australian High Court Justice Michael Kirby who the Indy Star calls “one of the most famous gay men in Australia.” Now, let me make it clear that my issue isn’t on the selection, but rather the speech in which was given. There is no question that our world, us as “global citizens,” is facing a lot right now. This is especially true for a arena full of 4,000 new graduates entering the workforce looking for jobs during the worst economic conditions since the Depression. I would imagine, that if I were ever given the opportunity to speak to these new entrants into the world labor market, that I would give them advice how to overcome these trying times. Speak to them about how proud they have made their family and friends, and talk about how education doesn’t stop when the exams do.
No. Instead the new graduates were lectured to about how gay’s rights are the most pressing matter in the world. That was the sole message. The whole thing. Gay’s Rights and how they must be the number one issue of all of us in the world. Right now. That this issue should be the focal point of the graduates past four (or five) years of work.
While recent polls have shown that companies are hiring +20% fewer college graduates, for lower salaries, his message was that gay’s rights is the most pressing matter in the world to these 23 year olds scrambling for rent money. For added good measure, at a jab toward the U.S. Military he stated that time has passed for Americans to stop “hiding behind the thought of not asking of not telling.” Awesome. Use the policy of an army at war of a country you don’t belong to as a punch line. (I don’t have to explain the reaction from the Bloomington crowed to that one.)
The speaker was completely off subject and completely out of line. What I’m pretty sure is what happened is that as a result of the equality obsessed hounds down here, IU was forced to choose a speaker that is as “controversial” in their eyes as Pace. Well like Pace did in his two visits to IU over the year, Kirby should have stuck to the SUBJECT MATTER at hand, not used it as a soap box for his personal beliefs. However, I would not have been surprised if he was told to touch on gay’s rights in his speech given this communities track record. I’ll look for a transcript to post.
The end result was out of touch message that didn’t hit home with the graduates, and a response to the speech at the end that most of the crowed was elated and standing, some were sitting, arms folded, and a few stood to “boo.” The majority was much louder and visible. It made the day awkward for many, ruined for some, and defined it for a few. This is a perfect example how many times, some people’s obsession with diversity actually make visible the lines that separate their groups, thus destroying what they are supposed to be champions of: Bringing us all together, not driving people away.
