This is the first time I’ve genuinely been embarrassed about Rice. I simply can’t believe somebody thought it would be a good idea to have her speak.

She’s truly a laughingstock, but checks all the virtue signaling boxes. That’s literally all she has going for her.

I'd like to know who signed off on this decision to have KJP speak. Did Reggie? I would assume so, and if that's right, then this is a really bad sign. I was hoping we'd get a better leader after Leebron left. She is partisan and unaccomplished relative to the historical standards of a graduation speaker. When there are so many non-partisan options available for speaking, why go this route when you know it will upset a sizable portion of the school's stakeholders? Dumb.

So how did the Queen of Three Ring Binders do with her Commencement Speech?

I haven't been involved with the university for a while as I have been busy with a family and career. As I get older and figure out what to do with my money, decisions like selecting KJP as commencement speaker are a clear signal to me of "don't give money to Rice."

What a flipping joke; I know my politics are not that of a typical university student, but I am fairly moderate and this selection was severely distasteful IMO. I truly don't even want to contribute via season tickets and attendance to games anymore. Plenty of other things to spend my money on.

(05-22-2023 01:42 PM)flash3200 Wrote:  I haven't been involved with the university for a while as I have been busy with a family and career. As I get older and figure out what to do with my money, decisions like selecting KJP as commencement speaker are a clear signal to me of "don't give money to Rice."

What a flipping joke; I know my politics are not that of a typical university student, but I am fairly moderate and this selection was severely distasteful IMO. I truly don't even want to contribute via season tickets and attendance to games anymore. Plenty of other things to spend my money on.

At least when I was there (graduated 2011), students selected the commencement speaker. There was a small committee, maybe 6 to 10, that made the selection. I bet that is still the same.

I’m neutral on the selection, but think that it definitely could have been better. At what point does the administration step in and say “no” to the selected speaker? Do they create some criteria, say, no one active in politics?

Was anyone there? How was the speech? Was it at least presentable, or just a collection of radical platitudes?

(05-22-2023 04:18 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Was anyone there? How was the speech? Was it at least presentable, or just a collection of radical platitudes?

...and attacks on extremistMAGArepublicans (all one word to her)

(05-22-2023 04:18 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Was anyone there? How was the speech? Was it at least presentable, or just a collection of radical platitudes?

Have not seen a transcript, but there is a video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i2KX7sd3ViI

Next year? AOC?

(05-23-2023 05:35 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(05-22-2023 04:18 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Was anyone there? How was the speech? Was it at least presentable, or just a collection of radical platitudes?

Have not seen a transcript, but there is a video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i2KX7sd3ViI

I watched a couple of minutes, about all I could stand. I am very happy that nobody close to me was graduating this year. I would have had a hard time sitting through that.

The applause did seem to be.. um.. rather.. um.. shall we say, muted.

(05-23-2023 06:13 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 05:35 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(05-22-2023 04:18 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Was anyone there? How was the speech? Was it at least presentable, or just a collection of radical platitudes?

Have not seen a transcript, but there is a video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i2KX7sd3ViI

I watched a couple of minutes, about all I could stand. I am very happy that nobody close to me was graduating this year. I would have had a hard time sitting through that.

The applause did seem to be.. um.. rather.. um.. shall we say, muted.

Makes no sense to have such a partisan speaker in these partisan times.

(05-22-2023 01:42 PM)flash3200 Wrote:  I haven't been involved with the university for a while as I have been busy with a family and career. As I get older and figure out what to do with my money, decisions like selecting KJP as commencement speaker are a clear signal to me of "don't give money to Rice."

What a flipping joke; I know my politics are not that of a typical university student, but I am fairly moderate and this selection was severely distasteful IMO. I truly don't even want to contribute via season tickets and attendance to games anymore. Plenty of other things to spend my money on.

You are not alone, brother.

(05-23-2023 08:29 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 06:13 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 05:35 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(05-22-2023 04:18 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Was anyone there? How was the speech? Was it at least presentable, or just a collection of radical platitudes?

Have not seen a transcript, but there is a video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i2KX7sd3ViI

I watched a couple of minutes, about all I could stand. I am very happy that nobody close to me was graduating this year. I would have had a hard time sitting through that.

The applause did seem to be.. um.. rather.. um.. shall we say, muted.

Makes no sense to have such a partisan speaker in these partisan times.

Equivalent to inviting Sean Spicer in 2017.

What it tells is the bent of the powers that be.

(05-23-2023 09:07 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 08:29 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 06:13 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 05:35 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(05-22-2023 04:18 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Was anyone there? How was the speech? Was it at least presentable, or just a collection of radical platitudes?

Have not seen a transcript, but there is a video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i2KX7sd3ViI

I watched a couple of minutes, about all I could stand. I am very happy that nobody close to me was graduating this year. I would have had a hard time sitting through that.

The applause did seem to be.. um.. rather.. um.. shall we say, muted.

Makes no sense to have such a partisan speaker in these partisan times.

Equivalent to inviting Sean Spicer in 2017.

What it tells is the bent of the powers that be.

Or the whims of a student selection committee?

(05-23-2023 09:26 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:07 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 08:29 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 06:13 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 05:35 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Have not seen a transcript, but there is a video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i2KX7sd3ViI

I watched a couple of minutes, about all I could stand. I am very happy that nobody close to me was graduating this year. I would have had a hard time sitting through that.

The applause did seem to be.. um.. rather.. um.. shall we say, muted.

Makes no sense to have such a partisan speaker in these partisan times.

Equivalent to inviting Sean Spicer in 2017.

What it tells is the bent of the powers that be.

Or the whims of a student selection committee?

If they are doing the selecting, they are one of the powers. Given the way we have selected Homecoming Queen in the past, I would rather have had a refrigerator than KJP. (and I respected her predecessor, Psaki, so it is NOT just knee jerk politics, and I would NOT have approved of Spicer as commencement speaker).

(05-23-2023 09:27 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:26 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:07 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 08:29 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 06:13 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I watched a couple of minutes, about all I could stand. I am very happy that nobody close to me was graduating this year. I would have had a hard time sitting through that.

The applause did seem to be.. um.. rather.. um.. shall we say, muted.

Makes no sense to have such a partisan speaker in these partisan times.

Equivalent to inviting Sean Spicer in 2017.

What it tells is the bent of the powers that be.

Or the whims of a student selection committee?

If they are doing the selecting, they are one of the powers. Given the way we have selected Homecoming Queen in the past, I would rather have had a refrigerator than KJP. (and I respected her predecessor, Psaki, so it is NOT just knee jerk politics, and I would NOT have approved of Spicer as commencement speaker).

I guess so... but when you said powers-that-be it struck me that you meant BOD/administration.

I don't know how the speaker is selected but Lad suggested that it used to be by a student committee.

(05-23-2023 09:50 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:27 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:26 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:07 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 08:29 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  Makes no sense to have such a partisan speaker in these partisan times.

Equivalent to inviting Sean Spicer in 2017.

What it tells is the bent of the powers that be.

Or the whims of a student selection committee?

If they are doing the selecting, they are one of the powers. Given the way we have selected Homecoming Queen in the past, I would rather have had a refrigerator than KJP. (and I respected her predecessor, Psaki, so it is NOT just knee jerk politics, and I would NOT have approved of Spicer as commencement speaker).

I guess so... but when you said powers-that-be it struck me that you meant BOD/administration.

I include them, but also the groups they grant power to.

Kind of like blaming the football coach's game plan choices on the Administration that hired the AD that hired the coach.

Quote:I don't know how the speaker is selected but Lad suggested that it used to be by a student committee.

I don't know either. The questions I would have of that method is, who selects the committee? What criteria do they use?

(05-23-2023 10:01 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:50 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:27 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:26 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 09:07 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Equivalent to inviting Sean Spicer in 2017.

What it tells is the bent of the powers that be.

Or the whims of a student selection committee?

If they are doing the selecting, they are one of the powers. Given the way we have selected Homecoming Queen in the past, I would rather have had a refrigerator than KJP. (and I respected her predecessor, Psaki, so it is NOT just knee jerk politics, and I would NOT have approved of Spicer as commencement speaker).

I guess so... but when you said powers-that-be it struck me that you meant BOD/administration.

I include them, but also the groups they grant power to.

Kind of like blaming the football coach's game plan choices on the Administration that hired the AD that hired the coach.

It seems more like blaming the administration for the student-athlete that fumbled the snap.

(05-23-2023 10:28 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  It seems more like blaming the administration for the student-athlete that fumbled the snap.

Well, like athletes... we tend to blame the people earning 6-7 figures over those paying for their education. Of course, a few (non-Rice) athletes are earning as much so... maybe that will change.

All of that said, I'm struggling to understand why KJP would even be on the short list of candidates.... much less the selection. While certainly she is not without merit at all... I fail to understand how she is a 'top 20' speaker.... for a top 20 University. I'm not even sure she's a top 100... and that's not a knock on her. There are a TON of people on the speaking circuit.

(05-23-2023 10:58 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(05-23-2023 10:28 AM)Rice93 Wrote:  It seems more like blaming the administration for the student-athlete that fumbled the snap.

Well, like athletes... we tend to blame the people earning 6-7 figures over those paying for their education. Of course, a few (non-Rice) athletes are earning as much so... maybe that will change.

All of that said, I'm struggling to understand why KJP would even be on the short list of candidates.... much less the selection. While certainly she is not without merit at all... I fail to understand how she is a 'top 20' speaker.... for a top 20 University. I'm not even sure she's a top 100... and that's not a knock on her. There are a TON of people on the speaking circuit.

Rice does not confer ceremonial degrees, and my understanding is that often hampers who we can get.

We have not, historically, pulled great speakers year after year. David Brooks was a speaker recently.

Something tells me a student on the committee nominated her and then she was selected.