Glover to speak at Commencement; has both fans and detractors waiting in the wings
On March 31, USU administrators announced actor and philanthropist Danny Glover as the 2010 Commencement speaker for the graduation ceremony on May 8.
He, along with four others, will be receiving honorary doctorate degrees.
Tim Vitale, assistant director of university Public Relations and Marketing, said the university has received a lot of negative comments from people all over the state about Glover.
“We heard that Glover had taken some controversial stances, but we didn’t expect the level of criticism,” Vitale said. “We haven’t received that kind of criticism in the past. It’s more than we are used to receiving.”
After local newspapers made the announcement, people started writing comments and letters to the editor.
“My opinion of Utah State just hit an all-time low,” one Herald Journal reader wrote.
“Utah State has lost a lot of esteem in my mind,” said Russ Larsen, a Smithfield resident, in a Herald Journal article.
Many people are upset about the decision to bring Glover because of his political beliefs and acts of activism.
Gustavo Coronel, a former member of the Venezuelan congress, wrote a letter to USU President Stan Albrecht, expressing his frustration and disappointment in the university’s decision.
“Your recent announcement has been received by Venezuelan lovers of freedom and democracy with dismay,” he wrote. “Among these lovers of freedom are the thousands of Venezuelan university students who are currently leading the popular protests against dictator Hugo Chavez.”
Coronel said Glover is “a strong follower of Hugo Chavez.”
Glover has made many trips to Venezuela in the last few years to endorse the dictator, Coronel said. During a 2007 trip, Chavez gave Glover $18 million to work on a movie that remains unfinished.
Even among the criticisms, USU administrators are standing by their decision to have Glover speak as well as awarding him an honorary doctorate.
Albrecht said, “Glover was chosen not because of his Hollywood achievements but because he is a renowned and highly respected humanitarian known for his personal, hands-on efforts to help people throughout the world on issues that include hunger, housing for the poor, community safety, equal and fair wages for workers and meeting the health care needs of the under-served.”
While most USU students are aware of Glover’s visit, many have not noticed the controversy and are excited to have him come.
“I love Danny Glover, because I think he is a fantastic actor and humanitarian,” said Alexis Lopez, senior studying psychology. “Glover has spoken out many times for minority rights, and that is something I enjoy as a minority.”
Heather Brown, sophomore studying FCHD, also likes the idea of him coming.
“It’s about time someone pops this little bubble everyone in Cache Valley is living in,” she said.
Two weeks ago at a Service Employees International Union protest in Maryland, Glover crossed a line of police tape and was arrested after ignoring officers’ warnings to step back.
Many students see the arrest as a reason to cancel his trip to Logan. However, others disagree.
Trent Morrison, freshman in psychology, said, “I think getting arrested for standing up for something you believe in is admirable. Isn’t that something we should take from college? Standing up and sticking to ourselves.”
May 8 isn’t Glover’s first visit to USU. About 15 years ago, he visited campus to give a presentation about poet Langston Hughes. His presentation was well-received, said Ross Peterson, university vice president for Advancement.
Peterson said he thinks Glover will be an excellent Commencement speaker and will have something to say about USU and the world outside of it.
Many people agree that just because he has different beliefs, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have good things to say.
“When you have a speaker who marches to a little different drummer than some of the people, I think that’s a great educational experience,” Peterson said. “It doesn’t mean that you endorse everything they say or everything they’ve done in the past.”
Jordan Eck, a history major, said, “I think it’s sweet that he’s coming. It will bring some diversity to Cache Valley. It’s kind of like when Michael Moore spoke at UVU. Just because someone has different opinions doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be heard.”
Morrison said Glover’s political beliefs shouldn’t matter.
“He’s not going to force his ideas upon our graduates,” he said. “If he does ‘force’ someone to change, then they weren’t strong enough in their own beliefs.”
– megan.allen@aggiemail.usu.edu