Anybody got more details? I know I can't leave my neck of the woods till at least 4pm. Anybody know what time the commencement ceremony will commence? Where ppl should meet up? Parking, shuttle svc and such?
Google Bush LatrobeInternational Herald Tribune
Bush graduation speech stirs controversy at St. Vincent College
The Associated Press
Friday, April 27, 2007
LATROBE, Pennsylvania: Speaking to a Catholic audience should be natural for born-again Christian President George W. Bush, especially when the invitation comes from a former adviser.
But Bush's May 11 commencement speech has aroused controversy at St. Vincent College — a school proud of its 161-year-old Benedictine heritage, which places great importance on morality, hospitality and peaceful relationships between people and nations.
Some alumni irate over the Iraq War have threatened to stop donating to the school, opponents have begun weekly protests and C-Span recently broadcast a heated student debate.
The tranquility of the school campus, set in western Pennsylvania's lush Laurel Highlands region, belies the controversy under the surface.
Some say Bush's policies contradict the college's Benedictine roots, while others say it is an honor to host the president. But even many students who support having Bush as commencement speaker disagree with his policies, outwardly opposing the war in Iraq and questioning his morality.
"I do not like the man. I do not like his politics," said George Miller, a 19-year-old freshman studying political science. "But as a Benedictine, I think we should let him come, not based on his merits, but based on ours."
Nationally, the Benedictine order has taken a strong stance against the war in Iraq, with thousands signing a opposition statement before the war began. In 2005, nearly 2,400 Benedictine's nationwide signed a peace statement that was sent to Bush.
Established in 1846 by a Benedictine archabbot, St. Vincent has more than 1,700 students. More than 60 percent of the students at the private school are Catholic, although its doors are open to all faiths.
The invitation to Bush was extended by St. Vincent President Jim Towey, who served for more than four years as the president's faith-based adviser.
Some in the student body were concerned that welcoming Bush would make it appear the liberal arts college has a conservative student body, an image many of them do not agree with.
The invitation also angered Catholic alumni opposed to the war, and aroused a fierce protest by the Erie-based Benedictines for Peace movement.
Since Easter, a small group from throughout western Pennsylvania has come every Sunday to protest near the college.
"We're totally outraged with the slaughter at Virginia Tech and this slaughter is taking place every day in Iraq," said the Rev. Jack O'Malley, 70, a St. Vincent alum who has participated in some of the protests. "The president goes to Virginia Tech and is horrified at the death and destruction as he should be. Why isn't he horrified at what's happening in Iraq? I don't get it."
Alex Conant, a White House spokesman, said Bush chose to go to St. Vincent because "it's a great college."
"The focus is going to be on the graduates, should be on the graduates and their accomplishments," Conant said. "He looks forward to congratulating the graduates."
Towey, who worked in the Bush administration until 2006 when he became president of St. Vincent, said his goal was to get the best possible speaker at the commencement ceremony. To him, a school can't do better than the president.
Aware of Catholic opposition to the war when he extended the invitation, Towey thinks the debate is good for the students.
"I am delighting in this opportunity for our students to engage in a healthy debate and recognize that our differences actually strengthen us," Towey said. "College campuses should welcome diverse opinions."
Cheryl Cochran, 42, will be graduating alongside her 22-year-old daughter, Randalyn. She is annoyed by the choice not only because she disagrees with Bush's policies, but also because the security, pomp and fanfare surrounding his arrival steal the thunder from students.
"It should be up to a person whether they want to hear him speak. We're kind of forced," Cochran said, hanging her final psychology project up on a bulletin board in the student lounge.
