TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Furman Professors Protest Bush Speech

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: June 1, 2008

GREENVILLE, S.C. - President Bush, ignoring faculty members who stood in silent protest of his commencement speech, admitted Saturday that when he left college, thinking about how to be a "model citizen" was the furthest thing from his mind.

Yet that was the goal the president set for the 2008 graduating class of Furman University.

"As you move ahead in life, you will find temptations and distractions that can take you off course," Bush said. "You might also find that years may pass before you learn some important truths: That who you are is more important than what you have. And that you have responsibilities to your fellow citizens, your country, your family, and yourself."

Scores of Bush supporters lined his motorcade route and the crowd gave Bush a warm welcome as he strode into the university stadium for the outdoor commencement ceremony. But about 15 members of the faculty stood in silent protest during the president's speech. They wore white T-shirts emblazoned with "We Object" to show their opposition to Bush's policies on the Iraq war, global warming and other issues.

In addition to the silent protesters, 31 other professors were granted "conscientious objector" status, allowing them to skip commencement exercises in objection to Bush's visit. There are 230 full-time professors at Furman.

Part of the animosity comes from the faculty's disagreement with Furman President David Shi. They say he failed to consult them before inviting Bush, breaking a tradition of having students give commencement speeches. University spokesman Vince Moore said Shi agreed with professors who voted this month to admonish him for not first consulting them.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT