Graduation season is upon us, and colleges and universities across the country have solidified commencement speakers to send off a new generation of graduates with wise and inspirational words. Some students and faculty, however, aren’t happy with their universities' choice. The University of Georgia’s pick of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has drawn significant negative attention in part because of a recent sexual harassment incident on campus and past allegations of sexual harassment by Justice Thomas. Students at Northwestern petitioned against scheduled speaker Jerry Springer, while the George Washington University College Republicans and Young Americans for Freedom petitioned against Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP. At some schools it’s not just the commencement speakers that are causing commencement uproars – students at Washington University in St. Louis are protesting an honorary degree being given to conservative pundit Phyllis Schlafly and students and faculty at UMASS Amherst are asking the university to revoke an honorary degree given to Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe years ago.

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