Seniors react to commencement address

Former Justice of the High Court of Australia Michael Kirby’s commencement speech fell on deaf ears Saturday, some members of the graduating class said, while others lauded his efforts and bravery to discuss his homosexuality on stage.

“I didn’t care for the subject matter,” graduate Alicia Christie said. “I just didn’t think it was appropriate for the occasion. I listened to the whole thing, and I don’t know what the overall message was.”

Although a Christian conservative, Christie said Kirby’s homosexuality did not lead her to disapprove of the speech.

She said she found some good in what Kirby was trying to say and thought his personal story was powerful.

She said he did well telling what IU has done for the world and showing his pride to be on stage in front of the 2009 graduates.

“I admire that he was standing up in front of thousands of people and saying things that people really struggle with,” she said. “But he spent too much time talking about himself and how he admired Kinsey and how he admired Herman Wells rather than saying, ‘And here’s how this could be applied to you as college graduates.’”

Sean Bullman, a student graduating for the second time from IU, said this and last year’s speeches were subpar.

He said the message conveyed by Kirby was not appropriate for a graduation commencement speech, and while he was not offended by the message, he did disagree with its delivery.

“His message has a time and a place,” Bullman said. “The time and place was not (Saturday). He did not do what he was supposed to do up there.”

Christie and Bullman said they respected Kirby despite their opinions on his message.
“He definitely deserves the acknowledgement that he got,” Christie said.

Earlier in the year, IU President Michael McRobbie made a decision to remove student input from the decision of who would speak at commencement.

IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre gave reasoning for this decision in an April 17 Indiana Daily Student article.

“They don’t get to decide who gets the degree,” MacIntyre said, “just like they have no input in who graduates, either. There are some things that are probably not appropriate for student input.”

Christie said she thinks the students should have a say in whom their commencement speaker is and that some of her friends felt the decision was slightly dictatorial.

“I know that the people that I know just thought McRobbie called up a friend of his and said, ‘Hey, you want to speak at a commencement ceremony?’” she said.

Bullman had a different opinion, however.

He said he believes the choice of who should speak at commencement is an easy enough decision and that it does not require student input if the choice was focused on what the students want.

But he said if there were some moderation of what the speaker has to say in some way, it would be better.

“It’s not that complicated,” Bullman said. “It seems like a really simple thing, but I guess they’re not good at doing both of those things.”