As you've probably heard, Andrew Card, former Chief of Staff under President George W. Bush, will be receiving an honorary degree from our fine University. This divisive figure (who was derided by protestors at his pitifully unoriginal speech on campus a few weeks ago) will now be forever tied to our institution with a doctorate in public service. Awarding this degree to Card makes a mockery of the whole notion of an honorary degree, and tarnishes our school's reputation.
As stated on the University of Massachusetts Web site, recipients of honorary degrees "should be individuals of exceptional distinction." These degrees are meant to reward a person who has truly achieved something great, to recognize extraordinary accomplishment. For example, Tisato Kajiyama, who will be receiving the other honorary award at the graduate commencement, has massively contributed to the field of polymer science. He is president of Kyushu University and Vice President of the Japan Association of National Universities. He has published literally hundreds of scientific papers on topics that I personally couldn't begin to comprehend, and has created a bridge of unity between Japanese and American scientific research. Nobody can debate the fact that this man has contributed volumes to intellectual society and scientific understanding. He clearly deserves recognition for his outstanding personal success.
Then there's Card. Aside from almost being the longest serving Chief of Staff ever (narrowly beaten by Llewelyn Sherman Adams, buddy of Eisenhower), there's nothing remarkable to say about his political career. In fact, much of Card's political history is mired in the Iraq war, and his association with the White House Iraq Group (acronym - WHIG, but I doubt the Whig party would approve of the Bush presidency at all).
Card was instrumental in the organization of WHIG, which was designed to sell fear and distrust to the American people, and sway our minds toward the war in Iraq. According to a 2002 CNN report, this group was used to push an "escalation of rhetoric about the danger that Iraq posed to the United States, including the introduction of the term 'mushroom cloud.'" Indeed, many people on this campus would have Card labeled a propagandist and a war criminal.
More importantly, the very fact that we have to debate Card's honorary degree is proof enough that he doesn't deserve it. If Card were really worthy of this award, everybody would be able to recognize his wonderful contributions to society. Card should only be granted this extraordinary recognition if every single person present at the graduate commencement can stand up and say, "This man has done great things, and deserves to be recognized." Instead, we have a man who has nothing to show for himself, but the reputation of war and manipulation.
Card's honorary degree seems to be nothing more than a slab of revolting pandering to a man who needs no further encouragement. According to the official White House Web site, Card has already received "numerous honorary degrees and awards" - so many that they apparently don't see fit to list them. Do we really need to continue to pat this man on the back, when he is clearly a figure of public antagonism and distrust? Does he really need to accrue another award - for public service, no less - from a public that is clearly divided by his questionable past?
Even though our elusive Trustee Board Chairman Stephen Tocco has already explicitly stated he would not reconsider awarding this degree, I urge you all to continue protesting its merit. There is an online petition, available at petitiononline.com/no4card/petition.html, that everyone ought to sign. Even if it won't revoke his diploma, it will still make perfectly clear to this administration that we refute their decision.
The Boston Globe quotes Tocco as saying to a jeering crowd of students and faculty last Thursday that he would "not debate the merits of Andy Card," which is, quite frankly, appalling. Isn't it his job, along with all of these other trustees with recently bloated paychecks, to debate the merit of these candidates before they throw them the diploma? It's really quite disgusting that Tocco openly admits that he's not willing to discuss the implications of giving this publicly derided figure a symbol of social achievement. It's obvious that the campus Tocco represents is not comfortable with the decision to give this award. I think this stands as yet another sterling example of this school's administrations failing to recognize the needs of the campus it serves, while alienating the students and faculty who have so much invested in this institution.
You would have thought that after the Robert Mugabe incident, our school would be a little more discriminating about who they award these degrees. Now, not only do we have a despotic dictator as an honorary alumni, but a figurehead of an unpopular and detrimental war as well. For a growing University that's trying so hard to revamp its image, UMass doesn't seem to care too much who it's tying itself to.
Caroline Moretti can be reached at cmoretti@student.umass.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!