275 faculty, staff, graduate students sign petition

An open letter opposing the invitation for President Bush to speak at the spring commencement ceremony has garnered more than 275 signatures from faculty, staff and graduate students.

The 372-word letter, which began circulating through university e-mail accounts March 5, states, "President Bush's speech would represent a political misuse of a public university in an election year."

The letter also calls for John Kerry to get equal time if Bush accepts the invitation.

"It seems like it would be an unfair advantage for one candidate to come and give an address to a large group of people while the other candidate didn't have the same opportunity," said Dyer Lytle, a lunar and planetary laboratory engineer.

President Peter Likins maintained that it's unlikely that Bush will even come to the May 15 ceremony, which was moved to Arizona Stadium in order to accommodate a possible Bush visit. He said he would not take any action related to the possible Bush visit or the criticism from students and faculty. He expects the White House to respond in the next few weeks.

Peter Seat, president of the College Republicans, said his group is drafting a response to the letter, possibly in the form of a petition.

"I've read through pretty much all of the commencement addresses that he's done as president, and he doesn't tout his administration. It's not a rally," said Seat, a theatre arts junior. But Lytle said it would be hard for Bush to ignore politics.

"I think it would be difficult to separate political issues from nonpolitical issues at this point. He's going to be in the middle of his campaign and that's going to influence him at some level," Lytle said.

History lecturer Paul Beezley, who did not sign the letter, said he believes Bush would present political views since he's a politician, but thinks his visit would be a great opportunity for students.

"Many people would see (his speech) as a great honor," Beezley said. "If he said something definitive, we would remember it forever. We still talk about Winston Churchill's speech at Westminster College."

Seat said those who protest don't really care that it's an election year, and simply dislike Bush and his policies.

Politicians have spoken before at UA commencement ceremonies. Last year, Gov. Janet Napolitano and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., spoke.

In addition to Bush, Steve Kerr, former NBA player and UA alumnus, was asked to be the commencement speaker.

"I would think that you would want a prominent representative of the UA alumni community," said David Ortiz Jr., an associate history professor. "Much as I wouldn't like it if Bush was a graduate of the (UA), I would deem that a reasonable visit."

Ortiz, who signed the letter yesterday, called on Likins to seek out the views of the UA community before inviting politicians in the future.

"If it's likely to be a controversial figure, then I think the best way to go about it would be to consult the faculty, consult the staff, and the people who work here at the university. And that includes students as well," Ortiz said.