At a University where students oversee the honor system and many other facets of student life, it seems contradictory that
University President John T. Casteen, III — rather than a panel of graduating students — chooses each year’s commencement speaker. Though the Class of 2009’s speaker has already been chosen, the University should adjust its policies to give graduating students a greater role in selecting their commencement speaker in the future.
Under the current system, students select only the valedictory speaker who addresses students on Saturday of Finals Weekend. Some student leaders also get to provide input regarding commencement speakers through a student-faculty committee that compiles a list of 10 potential speakers for consideration by Casteen. This student participation, however, does not necessarily lead to the final selection of a speaker who is representative of a diverse student body’s interests.
Faculty members and administrators clearly can play a valuable role in the speaker selection process; they can provide historical perspectives and connections to potential speakers that an entirely student-run committee would not have access to. However, faculty members or administrators could still serve this role while leaving the final decision to a student-run committee that is charged with trying to fully assess graduating students’ opinions regarding possible speakers. Using methods such as online polling — perhaps with the help of the University Board of Elections — a student committee could acquire information about graduating students’ interests before making a final decision.
Allowing students, rather than Casteen, to choose the commencement speaker likely would lead to the selection of a speaker who would be of interest to as many graduating students as possible. This year’s commencement speaker, Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, III, is a distinguished University alumnus, yet his judicial views — on topics such as the indefinite detention of a suspected terrorist without access to a trial or counsel — do not align with those of many graduating students. A diverse committee of students likely would have considered this concern, perhaps choosing a different speaker. Students have demonstrated their ability to pick speakers who are of interest to the student body. The students who chose this year’s valedictory speaker — University alumna Dawn Staley, an Olympian and college basketball coach — clearly demonstrated a willingness to find a noncontroversial yet inspiring speaker with ties to the University community.
It never will be possible to find a commencement speaker who will please every single graduate. Unlike many universities, U.Va. does not award honorary degrees, nor does it pay speakers, reducing the probability that the University will be able to attract extremely prominent speakers. However, regardless of whether the University’s speakers are well-known, the students who are being honored at commencement should have the greatest input in the selection of those speakers. A student-run committee could focus on finding a speaker who — while perhaps not a household name like Stephen Colbert — will make commencement a memorable, enjoyable experience for the entire graduating class. After all, Casteen gets to attend the University’s commencement ceremony every year, while for most students, commencement will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | 3 days agoInstead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
EDITORIAL: Celebrating and reflecting on The Cavalier Daily’s independence
By Editorial Board | April 18, 2024Our independence grants us the ability to ask the hard questions and to say what University representatives cannot.
EDITORIAL: Pedestrian safety is an institutional imperative
By Editorial Board | April 15, 2024Amid a national crisis of pedestrian safety, Charlottesville and the University are also struggling to properly maintain pedestrian safety.
