While some in the audience were laughing when last year’s Class Day speaker Sacha Baron Cohen—known by his stage name Ali G.—joked about marijuana and sex in his speech, Harvard’s administrator listened unamused.
This year they encouraged senior class marshals to invite a speaker who would appeal to the ceremonies’ cross-generational audience.
“The deans sort of told us to stay away from too-risqué people,” said Caleb I. Franklin ’05.
But Director of College Alumni Programs at the Harvard Alumni Association F. Hoopes Wampler said that the invitation to Russert “was really in no way a reaction to last year’s speaker.”
Each year, in the selection of the Class Day Speaker, the College seniors are asked to submit suggestions.
From the complied list of up to 400 names, the Senior Class Committee sends invitations to potential speakers based on their popularity within the class. This year, Tim Russert was on that list.
Referring to the choice of past class day speakers such as Will Ferrell and Conan C. O’Brien ’85, Hoopes said, “There is a misconception is the Class Day speaker is always a comedian. But we’ve had politicians and we’ve had authors in the past...I just encouraged [the Senior Class Committee] to look at a broader group of people.”
Sheria D. Smith ’05 said the administration’s apprehensions about the lewdness in last year’s speech “definitely had us thinking more about a Class Day speaker suitable for our audiences.”
But Smith said that the final decision was made with only one audience in mind.
“This is our day, and we wanted a Class Day speaker who would understand and speak to us, the senior class,” Smith said.
According to a recent piece on Telegram.com, an edition of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Russert has delivered verbatim the same speech at several college commencements over the years, prompting concerns over the sincerity of his reflections.
But Senior Class Secretary Erica K. Jalli ’05, who is also a Crimson editor, says she is not worried.
“Russert is a very thoughtful speaker,”
she said, “and I believe he will tailor his speech to the Harvard audience.”
—Staff writer Vinita M. Alexander can be reached at valexand@fas.harvard.edu.
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