Missing the point

A lot of negative attention – including a student petition 336 signatures strong calling for “a better, more transparent and more accountable commencement speaker selection committee to better reflect and respect the diverse opinions of the student body,” according to the article in today’s Cavalier Daily – has been focused on the political views of this year’s graduation commencement speaker: University alumnus and Charlottesville resident Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson. Many students look forward to fond memories of their graduation ceremony’s main event, but “selection” may not be the best word to describe the process of determining who the annual commencement speaker will be. Unfortunately, the speaker selection committee does not enjoy the same luxuries that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions does this time of year; a barrage of qualified, well-known candidates is not clamoring for the chance to serve the University community for no charge. Not that it isn’t a great honor to speak at the University’s graduation, but the elite speakers have other great options too. Finding a prestigious, worthy commencement speaker is no easy task for a college administration, and considering that the University does not pay its speakers it is hard to expect that they could have done much better in this respect. Whatever his political ideology may be, Wilkinson is an accomplished scholar that has a lot of noteworthy advice to offer graduating fourth-years. There are no guarantees, but one can easily be forgiven for assuming that Wilkinson’s speech will be tailored toward graduating college students rather than an account of his views on the war in Iraq. It is impossible to satisfy the “diverse opinions” of the three thousand plus members of the graduating class with merely one person. Can’t we set politics aside just once?

A long week

It's been a busy and somewhat controversial week for the University's administration. The selection of Judge Harvey Wilkinson as Commencement speaker drew the ire of more than a few students. Then came the termination (or “resignation”) of men's basketball coach Dave Leitao after four stunning seasons on the job. Surely these two things are enough to keep President Casteen's and Craig Littlepage's inboxes overflowing this St. Patrick's Day.
On the point of Commencement speaker, I personally have no qualms over the choice. While Judge Wilkinson and I don't necessarily see eye to eye on every issue, there's no question that he's an influential and accomplished person. He also happens to be strongly affiliated with our University—a Law School alumnus and Charlottesville resident, for starters. While some may argue that his occasionally radical political leanings will detract from the ceremony in May, I believe that this response is inconsistent. After all, unless we solely choose apolitical figures as Commencement speakers—a viable option, to be sure, but also a severely limiting one—there will always be those disappointed with the selection. I dare say that if a liberal orator were selected instead of Wilkinson, the left-wing critics would be decidedly less vocal (and, likewise, conservative students and faculty would be more annoyed). Opponents of the selection have tried to paint Wilkinson as an extremist for his views against affirmative action and gay marriage, among other things. His positions on these matters aren't particularly radical; they're just staunchly conservative. Who knows, maybe next year our speaker will be Al Gore or some other lefty. I would welcome that choice as well.
Oddly enough, I'm much more reluctant to come down on a side in the Dave Leitao issue. When I look at the numbers from his four seasons in Hooville, it's easy to write him off: a barely over .500 overall record (the worst of any Virginia coach since before Terry Holland, in fact), and a dismal 1-4 ACC tournament record. It's certainly nothing to write home about, especially when given a brand new, first-in-its-class arena to use as a recruiting tool. Still, four seasons is a short time to work your magic on any program. The end of the Gillen years were painful, and nobody could reasonably expect a miracle turnaround.
Just this once, I'll trust in an administration that has given me little reason to do so. Maybe they've finally gotten things right this time. I hope to see a topnotch coach perusing the sidelines next year, one that inspires confidence in the program and rekindles hope for the future. That's the kind of victory Littlepage and company could use sorely use right about now.

Topics of the Week: Leitao's sudden resignation & Commencement speaker controversy

photo from Wikipedia
Just yesterday, head men's basketball coach Dave Leitao announced his resignation shortly after meeting with University Athletics Director Craig Littlepage. Some feel this resignation was forced and amounts to a contract buy-out or firing. Players have come forward to say they did not expected this resignation. Others think this was a mutual decision between Littlepage and Leitao. If this was essentially a firing, was it deserved? Virginia did have the worst basketball season in recent memory. Leitao's overall coaching record at Virginia was 63-60. However, it is obvious he was beloved by his team and Virginia only had two returning seniors. There was plenty of room for the team to grow and get better as the promising new recruits, such as Slyven Landesberg, matured.

President Casteen's selection of Judge Harvie Wilkinson as commencement speaker last week has set off a buzz around Grounds about Wilkinson's judicial and political leanings. Many students are opposed to such a divisive speaker being given such a prominent place in the commencement exercises.
On the one hand, Wilkinson is a very distinguised University alumnus and considering the University's policies against paying for speaker or awarding honorary degrees, it is quite a feat to find a speaker. The University could revise these policies to attract more prominent speakers in the future but that seems unlikely given the current economy. But expecting noteworthy figures to travel to Charlottesville and deliver a major address solely for the honor of doing so is a lot, and it's easy to understand why Wilkinson, a Charlottesville resident, was chosen.
On the other hand, a commencement speaker, one of the last people to officially speak to a graduating class, should always reflect well on the University and should not generate controversy among the graduates. Commencement is about their achievements and not any particular political views. While Wilkinson's address will undoubtedly be designed to please the majority of attendees, will the focus shift from the students to the speaker?