Hillary Clinton to talk to grads

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has accepted an invitation to give the keynote speech at next month's Commencement ceremony at Franklin Field. "I'm ecstatic," Senior Class Board President Michael Rosenband said last night. "I think it's totally awesome that the first lady is coming to speak." On Friday, Secretary Barbara Stevens confirmed the rumors that had been floating around campus with a formal announcement of the first lady's scheduled appearance at the May 17 ceremony. "It's very exciting," she said. "Very, very exciting." Students, faculty and administrators -- including President Sheldon Hackney -- selected the national health care task force leader to deliver the address. Hackney was in Washington, D.C., last night and could not be reached for comment. But members of the committee speculated that both Sheldon and Lucy Hackney's ties to the Clintons may have helped land the first lady. "I think that their ties did help, but we are a prestigious university as well," Rosenband, a College senior, said last night. Faculty Senate Chairperson David Hildebrand said that he is "quite delighted" about the fruits of the committee's labors. "I think the president and the students can be really proud of themselves because they pushed for this before the election, and that took a certain amount of courage," Hildebrand said. Constan said last night that Clinton will not receive financial compensation for the speaking engagement. "The University never pays Commencement speakers," Constan said. "It's just a tradition that it does not do honorariums." Constan said that the usual course is to award speakers with honorary degrees, and that while he was unsure if Clinton would receive a degree, "it would surprise [him] greatly if she were not." Committee members noted the uniqueness of this year's Commencement, which will likely be Hackney's last before he leaves to begin the Senate hearings for his appointment to head the National Endowment for the Humanities. "I think that she'll bring an interesting perspective to the ceremony, particularly with President Hackney leaving," Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Jeff Lichtman said. "She might have some interesting words about his role here . . . and draw some parallels between him leaving and us leaving the University and going into real life."