McCain draws mix of reviews as speaker

When Arizona Sen. John McCain steps to the podium at Penn's Commencement ceremony in May, he will be looking out into a field of supporters, detractors and a few curious faces. The selection of the former Republican presidential candidate surprised many students, and the overall review to his selection varied among students. Some students said they were pleased with the selection of McCain. "I think he symbolizes a lot of what it means to be an American, working his way up in life," College senior Eytan Seidman said. "If he's in the right mode, he can be a very interesting speaker," he added. But some students expressed disappointment in the choice of a male speaker in light of this year's celebration of the University's 125th anniversary of admitting women. The Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee had hinted earlier this year that it wanted to select either poet Maya Angelou or retired opera singer Beverly Sills to mark the anniversary. "I think it would have been a little bit more appropriate to have a woman, just because it is the anniversary," College senior Jared Goldman said. "Penn seems to be big on celebrating things that have happened here," he added. Other students disagreed, saying that the committee should not automatically have chosen a woman to commemorate the anniversary. "I think that should be noted and recognized, but not necessarily with a woman speaker," Wharton senior Lauren Patrizio said. Upon the announcement of last year's Commencement speaker, Nobel laureate and poet Seamus Heaney, many students said they would have preferred someone with a more political background. But reactions to McCain indicate that some students may have preferred speakers like Angelou or Sills. "I think McCain is a dignified speaker and has an interesting past, but I am slightly disappointed," Goldman said. "I was hoping for someone a bit more colorful." "I was hoping for someone more arts and sciences," he added. "Someone like Beverly Sills would have been more interesting at this point." But some defended the University's choice of someone who is currently in the political hot seat. "I just really personally don't like Maya Angelou and was glad to have someone current and in the public eye right now," College senior Luigi Bianco said. Despite the controversy, most students expressed curiosity in what the senator will have to say. "I'm a little bit curious," Goldman said. "I'm sure [McCain's speech] will deal with how great our futures will all be, and how we'll all be future leaders or something." Political Science Undergraduate Chairman Henry Teune speculated McCain will incorporate his political aspirations into his speech. "They picked someone who is in the middle of a political problem," Teune said. "[McCain] considers the campaign as his life so I expect he'll talk about that somehow," he added."If he has a victory, then he'll talk about his victory. If he has a defeat, he'll talk about his defeat."