Columbia Grad Students Tells Their School To Shove It

(Photo from AP's Burke)

It already is bad enough when your college announces as your commencement speaker a person who really doesn't meet your expectations. But it's even more unbearable when your school selects a person whose history is so egregious that he or she shouldn't be allowed to even speak at a kindergartner's graduation.

That is the situation that Columbia's grad students of the School of International and Public Affairs were placed in when their school decided to select "wonderful" Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit as their commencement speaker in next month's graduation. And with their recognition of Pandit being one of the major players in Wall Street's omprehensive arrogance and robbing of money and dreams in the last several years, the students were certainly none too please.

"He represents an industry that, even when it was stable and not in crisis, paid itself outrageous salaries," fumed Daniel Safran-Hon, 29.

Ryan Hubert, 26, said students at the prestigious school are troubled by the administration's decision to opt for a millionaire banker rather than a humanitarian or commentator.

"It doesn't fit into the spirit of what public affairs is supposed to be," Hubert said

And since the weekend, they have felt this way in true adamant fashion:

The students' ire was sparked Friday when John Coatsworth, a dean, announced that Pandit - who has four degrees from Columbia and is a university trustee - had been picked to deliver the commencement address May 17.

Hell, I would have been outraged too if my school last year chose someone with an infamous background like Pandit to somehow be worthy of such an honor. (Funny enough, last year most at my school was outraged that Michael Capuano was picked to be a man speaker, but that was because of a few things involved with our school and certain grants he somehow was able to get for the med school in the House of Reps.)

And it is a pleasant site to see anyone callout their school for giving support to one of the robber barons of our times.

Maybe someone should help Mr. Pandit to look for a "Pre-K" graduation to speak at. But I don't think those even exist, which would be the exact point of that fitting request for him.