__Commencement speakers have ranged from prominent political figures to popular comedians__

p. Connie McCarthy, dean of libraries and a member of the committee that recommends graduation speakers to the Board of Visitors, remembers her daughter’s graduation in 2002 when Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander delivered the commencement address. Two years later, when Jon Stewart ’84 addressed the Class of 2004, McCarthy said her daughter was jealous that her younger classmates were sent out into the world by the ‘Daily Show’ host.

p. “They got to hear Jon Stewart and we had to have Lamar Alexander?” McCarthy recalled her daughter saying.

p. But Alexander is important in his own right. The Tennessee Republican was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 1996 and 2000. He trailed eventual Republican nominee Bob Dole in 1996, then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain among others, in 2000. While Alexander might only appeal to the most politically savvy students, he may still represent what McCarthy says is the College’s ability to attract a group of important and diverse speakers to address the class at graduation each year.

p. “It’s really an interesting mix,” McCarthy said. “But you can’t please everybody.”

p. The recent history of College graduation speakers does represent a diverse group of leaders, with a noticeable emphasis on political figures.

p. Of the 28 speakers since 1980, six have been U.S. Cabinet secretaries, two have been U.S. Senators and six have been political observers or humorists (including Stewart). During that time, the College also hosted two foreign leaders, one governor, one Supreme Court justice, one Federal Reserve chairman, military leaders and one former U.S. president (George H.W. Bush). All but seven, or three-fourths of Commencement speakers during that time, were involved in political affairs in some way.

p. The College also appears to have had success attracting conservative speakers, with many former officials in the administrations of Republican Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and none who were appointed by President Bill Clinton. McCarthy pointed to the makeup of the BOV, whose members were largely selected by Republican governors, as one possible explanation for this phenomenon.

p. McCarthy said that, while students and the Commencement speaker committee have a say in who they would like to ask to campus, “the BOV really chooses.”

p. Other notable speakers included U.S. Rep. Gerald Ford (R-Mich.), who addressed the class of 1968, six years before he became president. William H. Rehnquist spoke in 1977 while serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. Rehnquist was appointed chief justice by Reagan in 1986.

p. Ginger Ambler, the assistant vice president for student affairs (whom some speculate may succeed Sam Sadler as vice president for student affairs), has organized the initial stage of the Commencement speaker selection process since the 1992 ceremony, when James A. Baker, the secretary of state for the elder President Bush, addressed the graduating class.

p. Ambler said her role is less focused on leading the selection process and more concerned with enabling students to make their own decisions.

p. “We help students get their process started before the committee” considers the options, she said.

p. Ambler also said that she has little power in picking the speaker, but has noticed trends in what kind of speakers the College normally invites. In the end, though, the choice sometimes comes down to logistics.

p. “The College really wants to look at people who have distinguished themselves honorably in their chosen fields,” Ambler said. “But sometimes it has to do with the scheduling of that person.”

p. Ambler said that the College also tries to bring other individuals to campus at graduation who are not the official speaker. Journalist Diane Sawyer received an honorary degree in 1988, and Madeline Albright, Clinton’s secretary of state, spoke in 2001, though she wasn’t the official Commencement speaker. (John Stewart Bryan II, the grandson of a former College president, spoke that year).

p. Both McCarthy and Ambler said the best speakers are those who engage the graduates with their life stories and speaking styles.

p. “Jon Stewart was hilarious,” Ambler said. “He can be funny while also imparting some wisdom. His alumni status made him engage with the graduates in a way that was very special.”

p. Other recent speakers Ambler has enjoyed include Desmond Tutu in 2006, the year Ambler received her Ph.D., Glenn Close ’74 in 1989 and Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in 1996.

p. For McCarthy, the best speakers also bring some sort of diversity to the podium, whether it is with their experiences or with their background, and impart upon graduates a message that will inspire them to make the world a better place.

p. “Someone who’s a change agent. Someone who promotes peace and learning in the world,” McCarthy said. “That’s the speaker I like.”

Given every ounce of sweat, dedication and enthusiasm displayed by the members of the Filipino-American Student Association at each rehearsal, it is no surprise that their upcoming Filipino Culture Night will combine the effects of hard work, creativity and pure entertainment.

p. Tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., FASA will perform “Bayani: A Filipino Journey,” a play featuring the traditional and modern dance of Filipino culture. Written and directed by the Culture Night co-chairs, Rob Landicho ’08 and Tamara Peterson ’09, the play tells the story of a young black, half-African-American male who explores his Filipino culture in order to get a better sense of his own identity and cultural roots.

p. The story uses dance and traditions to express may aspects of the story. Anthony Elopre ’08, the co-president of FASA, discussed the significance of the play’s choreography, coordinated by the members. “We try to showcase traditional dances from the Philippines — a main way that people can appreciate Filipino culture,” he said. “Generally, from these cultural events, a lot can be conveyed through dance. There can be language barriers surrounding the culture, but anyone can appreciate dance.”

p. Elopre emphasized the cultural bearing of the play’s origins. “We made the play relevant to issues concerning both Filipinos in the Philippines and the U.S. Our play is inspired by both our co-chairs’ experiences,” he said.

p. Peterson came up with the play’s premise, while Landicho assisted with its direction. “Anyone who watches it will think it’s about my brother, since I’m half-Filipino, half-black,” she said. “I wanted to portray the fusion of both cultures helping to shape one’s identity. I take a lot from knowing about the Filipino culture, which is highly influenced by Spanish, Japanese and American cultures. The Philippines were colonized by these countries. Rob had a really big part in writing the play and the direction if it.”

p. The performance highlights traditional dance, using music, singing and tribal costumes. “One of our signature dances is the ‘Tinikling,’” Elopre said. This intricate routine involves nimble movements with bamboo sticks and fast-paced, highly coordinated footwork. “The tribal dances expose vast cultural influences that stem from Filipino history, including Muslim, Spanish, as well as modern and hip-hop influences.” The Spanish-influenced “Pandanggo,” another dance featured in the play, originated during Spain’s colonization of the Philippines.

p. “Arnis” will be another featured performance, which “involves two bamboo sticks and an intricate form of martial arts,” R.J. Gomez ’10, who coordinated the performance, said. “The performer uses bamboo sticks to take down his opponents. Seeing everyone come together and work together is remarkable. Everything flows together, so the end product is something that people will want to see. That’s why FASA is one of the few culture shows that people really anticipate.”

p. Tyler Hudgens ’09, who plays the title character of Bayani, seconded Gomez’s sentiment. “Everyone on the set had really good chemistry. I hope it all comes together, with all the three-hour practices,” he said.

p. Be sure to arrive with an empty stomach and willing palate, because Filipino cuisine, including pork, vegetarian food and rice, will be a mouth-watering draw for spectators interested in a tantalizing mix of culture and taste. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.

p. “I just hope that people will come and enjoy themselves and get interested in learning more about our culture,” Elopre said. “And for those who aren’t familiar, they’ll learn something new.”
The cast hopes all their hard work will pay off. “Ultimately, we put this show on to educate people in an entertaining way. Hopefully the audience will appreciate that,” Carling Sitterley ’08, co-president of FASA, said.

After four months of marching picket lines, TV writer and producer Aaron Peters ’95, a Writers’ Guild of America member for eight years, is exhausted. Last night, he gave a lecture entitled “Can Writers Take Control? The Writers Strike, New Media and the Possibilities for Writer-Produced Content,” he laid out the ideology of the strike, stressing the hurt the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers plans to put on the 10,500 guild members.

p. The stress of securing income is nothing new for writers. At any given time, “half the members of the WGA are unemployed. Everyone is basically a hustler,” Peters said. For the bulk of the guild, residuals mean food on the table. Guild members demand the residuals from the perpetuation of their creations — TV reruns, continued retail sales and, increasingly, the streaming and downloading of content over the internet. Four months without income is tough for any family to weather; some writers face the threat of losing their homes, while others were unable to afford Christmas gifts for their children.

p. The strike, however, has not been entirely dreadful. Peters has met more writers in the past four months than he has in his entire life. Mandatory daily marches of two to four hours have forced writers out of their workspaces and into an elbow-to-elbow community of fellow strikers. Fans and actors as well have joined the marches in support. According to Peters, fans of the hit Sci-Fi series “Battlestar Galactica” seem the most ardent, flying in from all over the country to support their favorite show’s creators, picking their brains as they shuffle.

p. Fortunately for us, Peters thinks the guild should reach a settlement by February 24, the day of the 2008 Academy Awards. He says everyone — writers, networks and the public — want to see the Oscars run as planned. “It would be a shame for the tradition of the Academy Awards to fade away as the result of this strike.”