Publius touched on where I was going with this.

Wash U, and the people who are getting all worked up about this, waste time, effort, energy and money with these stupid “honorary” degrees. If the university in general, and the law school in particular, wanted to do something that actually mattered, they would pour that money into scholarships, fund internships, and offer loan forgiveness for grads who want to work in the public sector and do something worthwhile in this world.

As a graduate of Wash U’s law school, I become more appalled by the year with the glossiness of the mailers I receive, the shamelessness of the appeals for money, and the willful failure to use that money to do something other than pat themselves on the back for working at such an expensive school. If they want me to donate, they are going to have to prove they spend my money on something other than an honorary degree for a lightning rod of controversy.

If the school really believes in different views, both sides
so to speak, then by all means, P Schlafly should receive
the award. Thank you

John C.

It’s true that Schlafly is an extremely strong and accomplished woman. The problem lies within the fact that she does not apply the same rules to heself that she advocates for women in general. Her strength is admirable but her hateful words are not.

The USA and Missouri and Saint Louis and Washington University should be most proud of the accomplishments of Phyllis Schlafy. May the good Lord bless her.

There is nothing wrong with Schafly getting a degree from Washington University. Just because a small group of students don’t like it, doesn’t mean that a person who has dedicated their life to worthy causes, and not harmed the name of the University she attended, should not get this honor. The students, should they ever graduate to the real world, may one day figure out that there are more important things in life than Starbucks, iPods, and complaining. It’s rather hilarious that the panel that approves honorary degrees, some of them students themselves, saw no problem with the degree earlier. The students, who obviously didn’t do any research, blindly approved it. Now, they are second guessing it. Well, sorry, you can’t change your vote now. Actions have consequences and people need to realize that you can’t have it both ways all the time. In any case, beings that this is Sweeps Month, the news organizations will cover it like some real scandal had occurred. But, this is NOT news.

As an alumna of Washington University, I am saddened and embarrassed that Mrs. Schlafly was chosen by my alma mater to be so honored. I am at a loss to understand why someone who has been such a negative force in history should be lauded in such a manner. Why would such a distinguished university want to applaud the societal contributions of a person who said the following:
“After Big Media, U.S. colleges and universities are the biggest enemies of the values of red-state Americans.”?
If Wash U is spending the time and money to honor Mrs. Schlafly, my donations will be much better spent elsewhere.

What is it that scares people so about Phyllis Schlafly? Is it her intelligence? Is it her good old fashioned values? Is it the fact that she accomplished great things in life and did not need the approval or help of angry feminists and liberals to do so?

Obviously this school and the feminist movement only believe that women who share their narrow views should be honored.

Are people jealous because she did not do as the feminists of the day did and forego having a family but raised a family while accomplishing great things? Many feminists have realized what a tragic choice the latter is and are now writing sad little books about not having had children.

She rejected the liberal feminist ideology and is still highly successful. She believes a woman’s place is wherever her abilities and talents take her, whether that be in the home or the House of Reps. In fact, she coined the phrase, “A woman’s place is in the House…and Senate”.

Responding to Amy attributing the quote “A woman’s place is in the House and Senate” to Mrs. Schlafly -
This phrase is commonly attributed to women’s rights advocate Bella Abzug - http://www.abzuginstitute.org/bella.htm

A conservative woman causes controversy at Wash U. Big surprise. I went to SLU, and although it is generally a liberal college like most, they allowed Schlafly to speak. I found her compelling, solid, and a great American. That was back in 2002. Since then, I have entered the real world, and worked for 2.5 years under a pair of strong feminists. Nothing was more miserable than being a bright, hard-working male and having myself and my accomplishments minimized at every turn. God bless Ms. Schlafly; she speaks the truth, and its ashame more Americans don’t listen. Even more so, it is a tragedy the amount of crap that is spewed about in our post-secondary education system. At this point in my life, I have embraced most of her views and it is my greatest wish that she is given more credence as a strong woman. -Scott in Clayton

This is in response to Bonnie. Actually, it was her husband and he did not say exactly what I wrote above. This is from Time in 1978. Bella Abzug probably paraphrased the quote.

“Undaunted, Schlafly ran for Congress in 1970 (she lost). When her role as wife and mother became an issue, she retorted: “My husband Fred says a woman’s place is in the house—the U.S. House of Representatives.” A similar line was used that same year by another woman politician of considerably different views —Bella Abzug.”

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945990-2,00.html