Student Life Archives

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More than 30 students representing Washington University’s graduate and undergraduate schools met on Monday to begin planning a protest of the University’s decision to award Phyllis Schlafly an honorary degree.

Many of those in attendance were members of the Class of 2008, but several professors, community members and underclassmen took part in the discussion as well.

The announcement that Schlafly, a leader of the national conservative movement since the 1960s, would receive an honorary doctorate has galvanized students who take offense with her stances on marital rape, abortion and the role of women in society to speak out.

“She is not representative of the community we want to build here. She has made statements that go against the basic tenets of the University,” said Dan Tilden, a graduating senior and the leader of the protest. “I couldn’t sit in commencement as a senior and do something that is recognizing her not as a politician but as a person.”

According to Tilden, the students involved with the effort are looking to find a way to reverse the University’s decision to award Schlafly a degree or, if that proves impossible, to make a statement of protest during the commencement exercises.

A Facebook group, entitled “No honorary doctorate for anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly,” has gained more than 1,000 members since being formed a week ago. In comparison, a group supporting Schlafly, entitled “In Support of Phyllis Schlafly’s Honorary Degree from Wash U,” has approximately 25 members.

“Outside of how anyone feels about her political views, its important that the University be willing to give degrees to conservatives as well as liberals,” Rachel Wisdom, a freshman and the creator of the pro-Schlafly group, said. “In addition, I think she’s actually a strong defender of women’s rights.”

According to Wisdom, Schlafly’s stances protect women’s exemption from the draft and the right of women to choose to serve in the role of homemaker.

Schafly is best known for her role in leading efforts to block the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and for leading a critique against feminism.

According to The Sun Journal, a Maine newspaper, at a speech at Bates college in 2007 Schalfly belittled the feminist movement as “teaching women to be victims,” argued that feminism “is incompatible with marriage and motherhood” and asserted that “By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don’t think you can call it rape.”

Students who support awarding Schlafly with a degree took issue with the way that her statements in Maine were portrayed, arguing that Schlafly saw other ways to protect women from spousal abuse.

“I spoke with Mrs. Schlafly about that [statement] yesterday and the issue is that she was trying to create a legal distinction,” Wisdom said. “Women who are being abused by their husbands are protected by existing assault and battery laws and it would be trouble to argue that something is rape when you have already consented to sex by getting married.”

At the meeting, participants discussed options for protesting the decision during the commencement ceremony, including wearing pink armbands, holding signs to protest Schalfly’s presence and facing away from the lectern when Schlafly was awarded her degree.

“Don’t think that the very possibility of a disruption to the University’s most solemn event would not sway the University,” Michael Murphy, a lecturer in the Women and Gender studies department, said during the discussion.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Monday that Mary Ann Dzuback, the director of the women and gender studies department, would not take part in commencement exercises, along with several other members of the department.

Though Wisdom agreed that students and faculty had a right to protest the decision to award Schlafly a degree, she felt that boycotting commencement exercises-especially on the part of faculty-was extreme.

“Graduation to me is not about Phyllis or Chris Matthews or any of the other honorary degree recipients, its about the students,” Wisdom said. “The professors should be there to support their students regardless of their political beliefs.”

At the meeting, one student suggested using the slogan “There is only one woman at this ceremony that should not be getting a degree,” in response to Schlafly’s positions about women’s gender roles.

The meeting also looked to answer questions about how to inform the student body about Schlafly’s views and how to alert the University community-and the outside media-about the dissatisfaction over Schalfly’s selection.

In response to protest over the announcement made last Monday, the University issued a statement over the weekend affirming its decision to award the degree.

“In any community with a large number of people and a diversity of viewpoints, it would be impossible to make a selection with which everyone would agree. That is the very nature of a university,” the statement read. “Alumna Phyllis Schlafly’s articulation of her perspectives has been a significant part of American life during the last half of the 20th century and now the 21st century, serving as a lightning rod for vigorous debate on difficult issues where differences of opinion are profound and passionate.”

The statement brought to light the University’s decision-making process for honorary degrees, which requires a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees based on recommendations from the Honorary Degree Committee. The committee is chaired by a member of the Board of Trustees and includes about 20 Washington University students, faculty, staff and other members of the Board of Trustees.

Schlafly is set to receive a doctorate of humane letters and is an alumna of both the College of Arts & Sciences and the Law School. As an honorary degree recipient, Schlafly will not address graduates, she will only be awarded the degree.

The move to rescind Schlafly’s degree comes less than a week after Northwestern University announced that it would not award the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright an honorary doctorate at commencement proceedings there. In recent months, Rev. Wright has drawn attention for his statements on race relations, America, 9/11 and his now severed connection with presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

In a statement explaining its decision, Northwestern wrote, “Commencement at Northwestern is a time of celebration of the accomplishments of Northwestern’s graduating students and their families. In light of the controversy around Dr. Wright and to ensure that the celebratory character of Commencement not be affected, the University has withdrawn its invitation to Dr. Wright.”

Schlafly is one of six scheduled to receive an honorary doctorate at commencement on May 16.

Check back throughout the week for more coverage of Commencement including updates on the protest and an interview with Phyllis Schlafly.

Courtesy of WUSTL Photo Services

Six scholars, each with expertise in a different field, will receive honorary degrees at Washington University’s 147th Commencement Ceremony on May 16.

The recipients include Chris Matthews, a political commentator on MSNBC who will also give the Commencement address; Quincy Jones, a music composer and film and television producer; Lee Seng Tee, a business executive and philanthropist of the arts; Washington University Professor Egon Schwarz, an expert in 19th and 20th century German literature; Jessie Ternberg, a professor emeritus of pediatrics and pediatric surgery at the University who helped open the door for women into the medical profession; and Phyllis Schlafly, a national leader of the conservative movement.

Schlafly’s distinction in particular has received attention, causing some to criticize the University for what they see as implicit support of her views, some of which have aroused controversy.

In response to her impending award, more than 780 students have joined a Facebook group entitled “No honorary doctorate for anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly.” The group targets Schlafly’s stances on feminism, marital rape and sex education, saying that they do not “fit with the future [of] the men and women of Wash. U.’s graduating class,” and that her presence at Commencement will be “incongruous at best, offensive at worst.”

Chancellor Mark Wrighton, however-who confirmed the selection of the recipients-says that Schlafly’s accomplishments and fame merit the honorary degree.

“Her contributions have inspired women and she certainly is a leader,” Wrighton said. “She is well known on a national level for the conservative movement.”

Wrighton added that though many-including himself-may disagree with Schlafly’s views, her writings have value in that they serve to enliven the national political discourse.

“I would not myself agree with her political views,” he said. “When you step back from it you have to admire her for working for the great democracy that we enjoy. She’s a prominent leader and a prominent woman, and she happens to be a conservative.”

In selecting the honorees, Wrighton said, the University Board of Trustees pays more attention to the success of a candidate’s career than to the reactions that the candidate’s work has elicited.

“[What is] most important is to select people who have made a difference in the world, who have accomplished vision and distinction in the world,” Wrighton said.

While there are many criteria that the Board examines in the selection process, Wrighton said that special attention is paid to honoring a group whose contributions have touched many areas of life, academic and otherwise.

“When you look at the people being honored, we are spanning a wide spectrum of intellectual activity,” Wrighton said. “We are privileged to be honoring all of these individuals because they made contributions in different areas. Each person has a special element in their contribution that distinguishes them.”

A factor that holds less weight in the Board’s calculus when determining the recipients, however, is their past relationships with the University. Three of this year’s six awardees-Schwarz, Schlafly and Ternberg-come from the University, and Schlafly is a native of St. Louis.

Ternberg, who received a medical degree from the University School of Medicine in 1953, was the first female surgeon on the University’s faculty and the first woman to be head of its faculty council. She was also the first female surgical resident at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Ternberg credits the University for her success as a female pioneer in the field of medicine.

“[The University has] been my career,” she said. “The opportunities that it afforded me were unique. When I was trying to get into another surgery program, they were all closed to women.”

By that same token, Ternberg hopes that her impending award will inspire other women to break barriers and help them in doing so.

“For women of my generation it was a wonderful thing,” she said of her work at the University. “For women of today I hope it opens the way for them a little better than when I started off.”

Although she is now retired, Ternberg maintains a connection with the medical school.

“I’m not separated totally [from the school],” she said. “It’s your life, it’s what you enjoy. People are much happier when they get up in the morning and they know what they’re doing. For me it’s been that way the whole time.”

Wrighton hopes that the graduates will see Ternberg and the other recipients as examples of how to lead careers that help them and those around them.

“The most important message is that the work of single individuals can have a profound and positive impact on the lives of many people,” Wrighton said. “Each of the graduates has enormous talent. I hope that talent will be applied to benefiting people.”

For information about the protest against Phyllis Schlafly, see this article

Seniors took advantage of their last year at Washington University to hold special events and bond as a class.

The senior class trip to Madison, Wis. was the first big event of the school year to kick off the last semesters at Washington University. Senior Class Council organized the trip, and they provided transportation, booked hotels, and provided guidebooks. With a turnout of between 20 and 30 students, the number was much lower than last year’s 100.

Wendy Xin, the internal vice president of the Senior Class Council, admitted the turnout was not quite what the council had hoped for, but she said, “Everyone who did go had a good time, so it was worth it for us.”

The rest of the first semester was marked by monthly trips to clubs and bars, including the Sub Zero Vodka Bar in the Central West End, which boasts over 140 different vodkas from around the globe.

Second semester, though, was when most of the main senior events were scheduled because Commencement is on most senior’s minds. One event was the Roast and Toast, which marked 40 days until graduation. Seniors had the chance to drink champagne and roast marshmallows with alums.

The Senior Transition Series, a set of seminars that range from personal finance to dressing professionally to cooking, was designed to provide a transition for graduating seniors to the real world. Dress to Impress, for instance, featured representatives from Brooks Brothers who came to talk about wearing the right kind of suit.

Brittany Wright attended several of the events in the series and thought that they were extremely useful.

“I just needed all of the help I could get. I am very apprehensive about moving to a new city. The personal finance seminar was the most useful. There was a woman from Smith Barney who sent me a budgeting spreadsheet and the contact for a financial planner in Houston. I feel more confident about budgeting and joining clubs for entering into a new city,” she said.

The biggest set of events though, most of which were held during the week before graduation, was Senior Week. A University tradition, Senior Week is usually wildly popular.

“Ticket sales have been great. Packets just got distributed, which is the craziest time ever,” Xin said.

The week is usually a hit because it includes fun and unusual activities such as a Cardinals game, a trip to Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta, Mo., Final Senior Night Out, Casino Night, Final Happy Hour, Return to the 40, a float trip and the Senior Gala.

Senior Week activities generally remain the same from year to year, but the new Lumiere Place Casino downtown inspired a fun addition to the traditional activities.

“Lumiere Place Casino is new and our president [Karan Chopra] thought it would be a good idea,” Xin said.

The Return to the 40 offers seniors the chance to see people from their freshmen floors, play sports games and have barbecue on the Swamp. The Senior Gala is a formal event that follows the Chancellor’s Dinner for Graduating Seniors, an event that is not actually organized by the Senior Class Council.

In addition to Senior Week, Xin is also excited about the senior class gift, which she says will be a tangible legacy that the senior class can leave. This project, done in tandem with the College of Arts & Sciences and the Alumni Association, has seniors donate money-which is then matched by an outside donor-to provide enough for a student to attend the University. “That student will be here for four years and have the experience that we have all loved at Wash. U.,” she said.

On the whole, Xin believes that this year’s council has done a good job in providing activities.

“Everyone is pumped and excited. We have a Web site and do Senior of the Week. All of the execs have gotten really involved with Commencement activities and in celebrating graduation,” she said.

She is also glad to be an instrumental part in creating memories for this year’s seniors to look back on.

“To be able to be a part of organizing one of these last hurrah type of things for the entire class is such a privilege. Over 1,000 people came to pick up their tickets. [I am happy to] see people so excited and feel like I contributed to something really important,” she said.

As senior Julienne Kane reflects on her college experience, she thinks the senior activities, coupled with contacts whom she has met, have helped to prepare her for the professional world. She does not want the support that she has gained from the University to cease and feels that it is necessary for her future success.

“I will feel ready [for the professional world] if the network of support from my peers and the faculty continue,” she said.

Scott Bressler

Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” will deliver the keynote address at Washington University’s 147th Commencement on May 16.

Chancellor Mark Wrighton says Matthews is a good choice because he is in touch with current social and political issues.

“Chris Matthews continues to be an important figure in the national news media with respect to the American political process,” Wrighton said in a University press release. “He is familiar with both Washington University and the pressing challenges that face our society today-challenges that our new graduates will be working to overcome and address.”

Former Student Union President Neil Patel, a member of the committee that helped select the Commencement speaker, says having Matthews speak is a good way to promote political participation.

“Chris Matthews is an excellent choice for people on campus who are politically aware. He’s an exciting person. He has definite name recognition. He’ll get people’s interest piqued,” Patel, a graduating senior, said.

Patel added that in the future, the committee should select speakers who are more connected to the University.

“In the future it would be good for the University to focus on people who have stronger ties to the University and aren’t mass-market Commencement speakers,” Patel said. “Someone who has a strong connection with the University, who can share in our experience, can be an effective and motivational speaker.”

In addition to political issues, Patel hopes Matthews will address the broader role of college graduates in the world today.

“I hope [Matthews] will be speaking about what role we can play in the U.S. as a whole, not just in the political arena,” Patel said. “What he thinks the biggest challenges we face as students are, how we’ve been prepared for that.”

In recent years, Commencement has featured other political figures such as Tim Russert, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” and former British Prime Minister John Major. Patel says that the University should not rely on the assumption that speakers involved in the political sphere will increase political involvement on campus.

“I don’t think it’s an inappropriate choice, but we shouldn’t have the expectation that having Chris Matthews at Commencement will make people more politically involved,” Patel said.

According to Patel, many students would rather have seen other speakers.

“My top choice was Al Gore. That was the top choice of almost every other student [on the selection committee],” he said. “Al Gore is a dream speaker. We knew there was a good chance he would not come.”

Matthews has appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” and has also spoken at several college campuses. Before working at NBC, Matthews worked as a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner and under former President Jimmy Carter, in addition to publishing four books.

Patel says that he is still happy to hear Matthews speak because Matthews can draw on those experiences to comment on the world that graduates will enter.

“He may be meant to push seniors to action,” Patel said. “It’s a way to incite people to do something, to change the worlds they are about to enter. That’s the goal of any speaker.”

Around the nation, the 2007-2008 school year saw controversial speakers stirring discussion and debate on college campuses.

The trend began in September when Columbia University drew national attention after inviting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak on the university’s campus in New York.

Ahmadinejad, widely protested by Columbia students and faculty, touched off a firestorm of controversy with his speech when he denied the existence of homosexuals in Iran.

Bringing in such a controversial speaker according to former Student Union (SU) President Neil Patel is not necessarily a bad thing.

“I don’t think controversy should be the sole motive, but if the speaker can be educational, I don’t think controversy should prevent universities from bringing one in,” Patel, a graduating senior, said.

Indeed, as the year progressed, Washington University seemed to have taken Patel’s words to heart and generated its own fair share of controversy regarding the selection of campus speakers.

On Feb. 19, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales delivered a Student Union-funded speech in which he recounted his life story, addressed many issues related to the war on terror and answered various questions submitted by an audience of about 600 University students, faculty and staff.

“Gonzales had a pretty superficial speech,” Patel said. “But the College Republicans and the College Democrats and the Wash. U. Peace Coalition put forth a lot of effort to educate the student body, and so I think that was a very good thing.”

Gonzales was invited to speak by members of the College Republicans, a student group on campus, and was paid $30,000 for his appearance.

Several student groups on campus, including the College Democrats and the Wash. U. Peace Coalition, protested the event by staging a demonstration outside of the 560 Building on Delmar Boulevard, where Gonzales delivered his speech.

More than 100 University students and faculty waved signs and chanted in protest, with some of them dressed in orange jumpsuits in imitation of the terrorist inmates at Guantanamo Bay whom they believed to be wrongly interned and tortured. The groups’ protest generally centered on what students considered to be Alberto Gonzales’ objectionable tenure as attorney general, as well as the University’s decision to fund his speech.

The protesters had been under the public eye even before the day of Gonzales’ speech, especially when it was announced that SU would provide funding for demonstrations. For the first time in recent memory, the University would be allocating funds to both an event and that same event’s protest.

One month later, the University drew heat once again when it refused to allow Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to speak on campus. The University, which will play host to the only vice presidential debate in October, made the decision in an effort to avoid appearing to favor any particular candidates in the presidential race.

The University’s highly-contested decision led to the formation of the Student Civic Initiative, a student group dedicated to the promotion of civic engagement on campus through the invitation of more political speakers to the University.

“I think when we do bring speakers to campus, we should be sure that they have some substance behind them and that they’ll teach the student body a lesson, be that in what they say or in what students do when they respond to them when they come to campus,” Patel said.

To finish the year, the University chose a less controversial speaker when it announced that Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” would deliver the University’s Commencement address.

When asked if he thinks Matthews will cap the year with yet another controversy, Patel expressed some doubt.

“He was brought in here to talk to a class and to parents that come from a lot of different points of view,” Patel said.