'This isn't what our campus supports'
Kelly Kiesel
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: News
McCall said their best plan would involve holding up newspapers instead of applauding during Ashcroft's speech and his reception of the degree.
"We want to find a strategy that will demonstrate our disagreement while being respectful of the accomplishments of every one of those graduates and their families for putting them through a Truman degree," McCall said.
Future plans for the process of selecting someone for an honorary degree were discussed at the forum.
"There have been a lot of proposals concerning how the process should be changed in general," McCall said. "What the students have been most concerned about is addressing the immediate situation of a week and a half from today."
McCall said of the proposed ideas was to have both the Student and Faculty Senate vote on the proposed honorary degrees rather than just the Board of Governors.
Graduating senior Nicole Sharp spoke during the discussion.
"I am surprised about the overall lack of communication about this decision before it was made," Sharp said. "This isn't what our campus supports and goes against what I want to do with my life."
Sharp said she was embarrassed about the speaker situation.
"The values of the University and the things that are stressed in Residence Life, the classroom, the mission statement and recruiting are not being supported at the end of the year," Sharp said. "The congratulation to the seniors - the people that have gone through this the last four years and supported and maintained this ideal and developed this community that Truman students as a whole support so very much - are being sent off with such a contradictory figure."
Graduating senior James Lang, former president of the College Democrats, said he thought the forum went well.
"I understood the grievances of everybody, and I shared those grievances," Lang said. "This was botched from the beginning - there were systematic errors in how this was put together. The unfortunate thing is that this is how it's going to be. There's no changing it."
Lang said he is interested in what Ashcroft has to say.
"I think we've done what we had to do," Lang said. "While there is a need for an appropriate response to protesting the symbol that Ashcroft is and his relationship to this University. It needs to be done with the thoughts and considerations of the entire class itself."
Graduating senior Sally Hertz also spoke during the discussion.
"I felt that the people who came represented a good diversity of views of why Ashcroft should not receive an honorary diploma and for many people also why he should not speak," Hertz said. "It would have been even more interesting had there been more pro-Ashcroft people there."
Alumnus Steve Baldwin had strong feelings against awarding Ashcroft a degree.
"For the last 28 years, I've been washing toilets and cleaning vomit, but nothing has disgusted me more than giving [Ashcroft] a degree," Baldwin said.
"We want to find a strategy that will demonstrate our disagreement while being respectful of the accomplishments of every one of those graduates and their families for putting them through a Truman degree," McCall said.
Future plans for the process of selecting someone for an honorary degree were discussed at the forum.
"There have been a lot of proposals concerning how the process should be changed in general," McCall said. "What the students have been most concerned about is addressing the immediate situation of a week and a half from today."
McCall said of the proposed ideas was to have both the Student and Faculty Senate vote on the proposed honorary degrees rather than just the Board of Governors.
Graduating senior Nicole Sharp spoke during the discussion.
"I am surprised about the overall lack of communication about this decision before it was made," Sharp said. "This isn't what our campus supports and goes against what I want to do with my life."
Sharp said she was embarrassed about the speaker situation.
"The values of the University and the things that are stressed in Residence Life, the classroom, the mission statement and recruiting are not being supported at the end of the year," Sharp said. "The congratulation to the seniors - the people that have gone through this the last four years and supported and maintained this ideal and developed this community that Truman students as a whole support so very much - are being sent off with such a contradictory figure."
Graduating senior James Lang, former president of the College Democrats, said he thought the forum went well.
"I understood the grievances of everybody, and I shared those grievances," Lang said. "This was botched from the beginning - there were systematic errors in how this was put together. The unfortunate thing is that this is how it's going to be. There's no changing it."
Lang said he is interested in what Ashcroft has to say.
"I think we've done what we had to do," Lang said. "While there is a need for an appropriate response to protesting the symbol that Ashcroft is and his relationship to this University. It needs to be done with the thoughts and considerations of the entire class itself."
Graduating senior Sally Hertz also spoke during the discussion.
"I felt that the people who came represented a good diversity of views of why Ashcroft should not receive an honorary diploma and for many people also why he should not speak," Hertz said. "It would have been even more interesting had there been more pro-Ashcroft people there."
Alumnus Steve Baldwin had strong feelings against awarding Ashcroft a degree.
"For the last 28 years, I've been washing toilets and cleaning vomit, but nothing has disgusted me more than giving [Ashcroft] a degree," Baldwin said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 25
april
posted 4/30/09 @ 2:53 AM CST
Alumnus Steve Baldwin had strong feelings against awarding Ashcroft a degree.
"For the last 28 years, I've been washing toilets and cleaning vomit, but nothing has disgusted me more than giving [Ashcroft] a degree," Baldwin said. (Continued…)
B
posted 4/30/09 @ 6:20 AM CST
"McCall said their best plan would involve holding up newspapers instead of applauding during Ashcroft's speech and his reception of the degree.
"We want to find a strategy that will demonstrate our disagreement while being respectful of the accomplishments of every one of those graduates and their families for putting them through a Truman degree," McCall said. (Continued…)
Brian S.
posted 4/30/09 @ 9:43 AM CST
After reading this article I still don't understand why John Ashcroft isn't what the University supports? After all, wasn't it Ashcroft in 1985 who signed legislation transforming Truman (NMSU) from a regional university to a statewide public liberal arts and sciences university. (Continued…)
Jim
posted 4/30/09 @ 10:10 AM CST
This article is unintentionally sad. I'm no Ashcroft cheerleader, but the display of "diversity" from some of the students protesting the honorary degree is insipid. (Continued…)
Stuart
posted 4/30/09 @ 1:38 PM CST
I attended this "Forum" and would like to say, after witnessing the behavior of the professors and students in attendance, that I am ashamed I came to Truman. (Continued…)
Jordan Cantoni
posted 4/30/09 @ 5:15 PM CST
I think it is ironic that in a so-called liberal arts institution that prides itself on intellectual stimulation, discourse, and debate that there is such a fascist mentality when it comes to diverging opinion. (Continued…)
Phil Jarrett
posted 4/30/09 @ 11:11 PM CST
As a recent alum, I can say I'm not pleased with the selection of Ashcroft to speak, but it is understandable. Is it going to ruin graduation? No. Graduation speakers are almost always a let down, the whole thing feels thrown together at the last minute. (Continued…)
n
posted 5/01/09 @ 12:03 AM CST
maybe Truman folks should just be glad it's not Phyllis Schlafly.
Brad S.
posted 5/01/09 @ 12:45 AM CST
The problem is not that Ashcroft is speaking, it's that the University went out of its way to bestow upon him only the second honorary degree in its history. (Continued…)
tyler
posted 5/01/09 @ 8:21 AM CST
John Ashcroft is a slap in my face. I'm embarrassed for my school and of my education, as people I care about will be here to support me and will have to listen to such a poor representation of the values of liberal arts education. (Continued…)
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