Universities have the obligation not to indoctrinate their students with one particular mantra. Instead, they should encourage students to think outside of the box and create their own opinions about the world. That’s not to say that they can’t stress a particular viewpoint — especially in the case of religious institutions — but the encouragement of original thinking is one of the American universities’ strongest values. It was commendable that the University of Notre Dame invited President Barack Obama to speak at their commencement, despite views opposing Catholic teachings.
After the media firestorm arising from Notre Dame’s choice, many wondered whether the president would actually be speaking at the ceremony. Some conservatives at the Catholic university opposed the invitation because of the president’s stance on abortion and on gay marriage, although the former was the more hostile issue. Many protested the president’s speech on Sunday, about two dozen of whom were new graduates who refused to attend the ceremony.
The speech
In his speech, President Obama encouraged the crowd not to “shy away from things that are uncomfortable.” He made the point that the two side of an argument may be virtually irreconcilable, but hoped that the students could engage in open discussion “without reducing those with differing views to caricature.”
Obama’s specific views on abortion did not come into play during his speech — he instead chose to focus on less explosive issues such as preventing unwanted pregnancy. While this was not the most direct way to deal with the controversy at hand, the President should be commended for deftly dealing with a topic that has caused so much discussion and upheaval at the university.
The other issues
Discounting someone on a singular basis is immature and uninformed. The extremity with which some treat abortion — and judge the President by his views on it — is irrational.
War, diplomacy, the economy, health care: on all of these issues, Obama’s detractors at Notre Dame have been nearly silent. They have not commented on his commitment to maintaining stability in Pakistan, about the possibility of immediately removing American soldiers from Iraq or his wish to provide health care to all Americans.
What of this? Critics do themselves a disservice by completely rejecting even the presentation of a differing viewpoint, the campus pro-life movement hurts the values Notre Dame should stand for. It is an honor to have the President of the United States, arguably the most powerful man in the world, speak at commencement.
The precedent
After the pro-life movement raised a fuss over the honorary degree given to Obama and the invitation extended to him to be a keynote speaker at the 2009 commencement, one is led to the conclusion that all commencement speakers at Notre Dame must uphold all standards of Catholic piety and doctrine.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. In lesser offenses than say, killing a fetus, immorality is tolerated and even celebrated. At the 1989 commencement, MLB commissioner Peter Ueberroth was invited to speak despite being accused of collusion with team owners during the 1985-1987 seasons. Activists turned the other cheek when Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. graced the stage at Notre Dame’s sister school, St. Mary’s College. Justice Alito wrote the dissenting opinion in Doe v. Groody, where he affirmed the constitutionality of strip searching a 10-year-old in her own home, making him hardly a champion of respect for human dignity.
Indeed, few (if any) speakers are likely to follow all religious ideals honored by institutions like Notre Dame. This does not mean that these people should be barred from giving an address. On the contrary, critical thinking and diversity of ideas are vital to the university system. When met without rancor, differing viewpoints can even lead to constructive discussion.
If someone disagrees with President Obama on some of his political views, more power to them — the Constitution protects their right to say what they believe. A university commencement, however, is not the place to spout one’s politics. To politicize the event, rather than celebrate the achievement of the more than 2,000 graduates, is inappropriate. Take the debate to Washington, and leave the celebrating in South Bend.