The University hit some nerves earlier this week after it announced its decision to bring in James Baker to speak at Commencement.
And it wasn't the first time such an episode occurred.
In 1980, the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was slated to speak at Commencement.
Come May, however, Moynihan did not appear on the graduation stage.
The reason? The senator decided to cancel the speech after a group of black student groups condemned the selection, which they considered racist.
"It was a controversy that was pretty widely discussed . There were strong feelings on both sides," 1981 College alumnus and then-Daily Pennsylvanian Executive Editor Richard Stevenson said.
But despite criticism about the politics and controversial background of this year's pick, the 1980 scenario is unlikely to repeat itself.
For one thing, the selection process is entirely different and does not place the same weight on student input as it once did.
The procedure in 1980 called for the senior class to vote on its top six choices. After that, it was up to then-University President Martin Meyerson to secure the speaker.
After all of the top choice were either unavailable or deemed too controversial, Moynihan - slightly below the seniors' top 10 candidates - was chosen.
Black student groups immediately criticized the selection, citing Moynihan's support of a "benign neglect" policy toward U.S. minorities during the Nixon administration.
The policy was widely seen as an act of neglect of the black national community.
"What surprised me about the Moynihan situation was the amount of pressure students were able to put on the University administration," said 1980 College alumnus Charles Smolover.
Despite officials' requests to stop complaining, student groups continued with their plans for protest and, before long, Moynihan pulled out.
Meyerson scrambled to find a replacement and came up with Noel Gilroy Annan, a British scholar.
Twenty-seven years later, this year's pick has turned heads among several campus groups for his various political stances.
Meanwhile, other students have no idea who Baker is, while some are celebrating the University for bringing in a former U.S. Cabinet member and co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group.
Whatever the reaction, however, it won't hold the same weight as it once did.
Under Penn's current Commencement speaker selection process, in place for at least a decade, a committee of University trustees makes the final decision after weighing recommendations from student and faculty advisory boards.
To date, no student groups - including the Penn Israel Coalition, which has expressly called the University's decision "appalling" - have said that they plan on issuing a formal, 1980-esque opposition to the selection.
"Penn's policies are extremely consistent with what our peers do in terms of student involvement," University Secretary Leslie Kruhly said, noting that she urges students on the committee to "talk to the people in [their] class" and give suggestions.
Penn President Amy Gutmann said that she thinks the current system works well.
"It would not be good for the president to do it single-handedly," she said, referring to the former system.
