Reflections on Commencement Season 2017

It is May and that means commencement season is upon us.  This is a time when the members of the Class of 2017 will put away their textbooks and enter the workforce.  I sure hope they are capable of solving the major problems facing our country and the world but I have my doubts.

 

No commencement season is complete without the banning of conservative politicians from delivering commencement speeches.  In 2014, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was forced to rescind her invitation to speak at Rutgers University’s Commencement Ceremony in the wake of student protests.  This year, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is one of the most notable victims of the left’s attacks on free speech.  Cornyn was disinvited from speaking at Texas Southern University, a historically black college.  The college points to a change.org petition as a reason for the cancellation. The petition complained that Cornyn “chooses to use his political power in ways that continually harm marginalized and oppressed people.”  However, Democratic Congressman Al Green, who called for Trump’s impeachment on the House floor last week, still made remarks at the commencement; along with Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. It would be foolish to think that the cancellation of Cornyn’s speech had nothing to do with his political views. This comes just days after Education Secretary Betsy Devos was booed while delivering the Commencement address at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida; another HBC.  You would think that mature adults about to enter the real world would be able to hear an opposing point of view without breaking out in hives. 

 

Although he was not forced to cancel his speech, Vice President Mike Pence was met with some hostility as he gave the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame in his home state of Indiana; where he had served as governor for the past four years.  Several students walked out during his speech; presumably retreating to a “safe space.”  The students who walked out said that they did so in order to show support for “marginalized people affected by Pence’s politics”.  As you can see, their language is quite similar to the words found in the petition that led to the cancellation of Senator Cornyn’s speech at TSU.  The Vice President was brave enough to rip into “administration-sanctioned political correctness” and safe spaces during his speech.  Unfortunately, it appears as if even well-respected Catholic schools such as Notre Dame are not immune to the left-wing tsunami that is sweeping through Academia.   

 

On a personal note, it just so happens that I myself am a member of the Class of 2017.  I graduated from college earlier this month with a B.A. in political science.  There were times when I thought that I would never be able to graduate; specifically after my GPA plummeted at the beginning of my sophomore year.  However, I managed to turn things around and graduate cum laude, with a 3.54 GPA. 

 

I began writing for the college newspaper my very first week of college.  I started out as a news reporter.  I thought I would be relatively comfortable in this position, having written for my high school newspaper.  At the beginning of my junior year, I decided to take the plunge and become an opinions reporter, knowing that many of my opinions were not in league with those of my more liberal peers. Sure enough, the very first article I submitted was shot down for being too “controversial.” However, I was able to submit all subsequent articles without any opposition from the editorial board.   

 

If I got nothing else out of college, I had an opportunity to improve my writing. I have had numerous professors compliment me on my writing, despite the fact that they probably disagreed with my opinions.  In addition to my contributions to the school newspaper, I have had the opportunity to produce many different kinds of writing as part of my coursework; including book reviews and several research papers.   

 

As I put my college career behind me, I am ready to fully embrace my conservatism without any fear of censorship.  It is my goal to be on the front lines in the culture war; defending traditional western culture and values from the never-ending assaults by social justice warriors and radical Islamic terrorists.   I look forward to the many challenges and adventures that lie ahead.