Northwestern Graduation Takes a Turn for the Typical
Posted on May 29, 2008
Filed Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Dye
The wise person who put money on “corrupt Chicago politician, any variety” in our office pool is maybe the only winner after this week’s big reveal of who will be speaking at Northwestern’s 150th graduation. No, it’s not Jack Bauer. Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley will be the guest of honor, according to The Daily Northwestern. Northwestern seniors are naturally irate, because they’re done with finals and finally have entire days to devote to their favorite pastime, sending angry e-mails.
University president Henry Bienen explained Daley’s friendship with Patrick Ryan, chairman of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees and of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic committee, had a lot to do with the selection. It’s fitting, since that’s how most political decisions seem to get made in Chicago. But then Bienen took a turn for the awfully-defensive in a nasty e-mail exchange with a graduating Northwestern senior, detailed by Confirmed and Denied:
According to editors for The Daily Northwestern, graduating senior Matthew Breslow sent Bienen an e-mail calling the announcement an “unequivocal slap in the face.” And when Bienen made the mistake of e-mailing Breslow back, Breslow took the liberty of posting the Bienen’s entire reply in the comments section of the Daley article. Some highlights?
“This is both a silly letter and a somewhat offensive one to write to me. It is incredibly immature…By the way that you think a commencement speaker has any thing to do with national stature of Northwestern tells me we failed here in educating you.”
Yikes! That’ll teach you to drink and e-mail, President Bienen.
UPDATE: The Chicago Tribune is jumping on the “shut up, students” bandwagon with an op-ed today that blasts students for their disappointment in Daley:
“They are not entitled to a condescending attitude toward their commencement speaker, Richard M. Daley, the mayor of Chicago…Come June 20, you may learn useful thoughts from this man, who each day opens himself to second-guessing. Others of you, having caused enough embarrassment, would do well just to be polite.”
Northwestern students, there’s still time to be as immature as you want (after all, you’re the ones who have to wear the purple gown): Go here to e-mail Northwestern’s administrators. Remember, this won’t die until you’ve gotten every last word in. And there are still so many left!
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