Tag Archives: right

COMMENCEMENT SPEECHES ARE A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT

Bisma Shahbaz is a junior international studies major.
Bisma Shahbaz is a junior international studies major.

As we all know, or hopefully know, freedom of speech protects our right to openly communicate our ideas whether they are intellectual or hateful, but that doesn’t mean anyone is obliged to listen to you. Previous commencement speak- ers such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, International Mone- tary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali have all had a taste of this reality when students began protesting their respected Univer- sity’s choice to invite these individuals to speak on their graduation, but due to uproar and protests, their scheduled ap- pearance was canceled. Continue reading COMMENCEMENT SPEECHES ARE A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT