05.13.2008 8:50 am
Schlafly v. Mugabe: Degree or not degree, that is the question
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The Boston Globe today reports that Jack M. Wilson, president of the
University of Massachusetts, may rescind an honorary degree awarded to President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who is facing international scorn and sanctions for his authoritarian regime’s bloody campaign against political opponents.
This makes Washington University’s problems with protests of plans to award an honorary degree Friday to Phyllis Schlafly pale by comparison. Whatever you might think about Mrs. Schlafly, she’s no Robert Mugabe.
Kevin Horrigan is deputy editor of the editorial page. He writes editorials on local, state and national politics and public policy and also contributes a signed column to the Sunday Commentary Page. "The Old Sport" is a former sports columnist for the Post-Dispatch and for 10 years hosted radio talk shows on KMOX and KTRS in St. Louis. He lives in South St. Louis with his wife, Kate, and a dream of one day starting a professional catfish noodling tour. 
I believe in free speech and that everyone has the right to voice their opinions. This does not mean they need to be given honorary degrees!
“Isn’t it funny that the same professors and students that are so upset with Mrs. Schlafly and her comments never have a problem with the administration cashing her endowment checks. Or anyone they find repulsive for that matter.”
It’s rip-roaringly hilarious.
Unless a campus location is named after someone, we usually don’t hear about it.
“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. [...] That was back in 2002.”
Hey, guess what! Us too!
http://media.www.studlife.com/media/storage/paper337/news/2002/11/01/News/Speaker.Criticizes.Feminism-313022.shtml
This is that free speech that we were discussing earlier, and it’s entirely different from giving someone a doctorate. This is taking all of the WU coursework, all of the scholarly inquiry of a standard doctorate, and GIVING it to someone, saying that what they have done throughout their lives has contributed enough to the world to have performed the equivalent. Does prolific demagoguery deserve a doctorate? (For the curious, I would have preferred that Chris Matthews - who recently bragged in a NY Times profile that he would be up to 22 honorary degrees as of this spring, and who gave a commencement speech I would qualify as “adequate” - not receive one either.)
Word has it that at least for the student members of the board that selected the honorees, the atmosphere was hostile to dissent. The vote offered was not on a per-honoree basis. Members faced a single yes-no vote for the entire slate.
Its a true SHAME on Washington University to have given Phyllis Schlafy an Honorary Degree considering her disrespect of Women’s Rights in the 21st Century. I feel the students should have been respected for their wishes and Washington University choose the wrong path in history.Phyllis Schlafy only sets back Women’s progress in the World.