Seniors pleased with Bono as graduation speaker

Seniors met the news of U2 lead singer Bono being named this spring's Commencement speaker mostly with excitement.

"I'm very happy with the choice," College senior Jamie Diaz said.

"I think it's a really cool idea that they picked somebody who's famous and at the same time a big political figure -- somebody who's actually making a difference," she said.

Diaz added that many seniors she had spoken with expressed similar sentiments and that "people seem to think it's cool."

She noted how one friend, Engineering senior Philip Pasternak, displayed his excitement over the decision: his Instant Messenger away response held a link to the news entitled "Penn decides to be cool."

Yet while many seniors were excited by the news, some were still unsure about the University's choice.

"Honestly, I don't necessarily agree with many of his political viewpoints," Wharton senior Alexander Hardin said. "I think they could have done better, but they also could have done a lot worse."

Hardin said that he is somewhat ambivalent to the selection but overall felt that it was an "OK choice."

College Republican member and College sophomore Eric Rechtschaffen said that the College Republicans were not entirely satisfied with the selection.

Though he felt it was nice to have a speaker with star power, he said the group is not pleased with "the University bringing a left-wing activist speaker to the campus."

Yet most members of the senior class are enthused that the University has chosen a Commencement speaker who is a celebrity as well as a social and political activist.

College senior and theatre arts major James White expressed his preferences for the content of Bono's speech.

"I hope he has a political message," White said. "I hope he inspires us to be politically aware in this day and age we are living in. I hope he makes the point to just how important our actions are, and [that] they can truly affect others both negatively and positively in the upcoming years."

White said he "think[s] it's great having people from all walks of life leading our class forward and inspiring us."

He added, "I think it shows that the administration is hip."

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