Texas Southern students miss out on Cornyn
University commencement speeches represent a moment of victory.
It shouldn’t really matter whether the speaker is liberal, conservative, black, white, red or blue. What should matter is whether the speaker inspires graduates to go on to “commence” a life and career filled with happiness and success.
Politics mattered Saturday at Texas Southern University, and Texans are worse off for it.
A protest that began as an online petition eventually persuaded university officials to drop U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, an Austin Republican, as one of three commencement speakers along with Democratic U.S. Reps. Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston.
A university statement said TSU wanted to “keep focus on graduates and their families.” A spokesperson told the Texas Tribune the university wanted to “to ensure that our students and families enjoyed their special day.”
Cornyn, a former Texas Supreme Court justice and attorney general, knows how special college graduation can be for families. He’s been a commencement speaker at many Texas universities.
But student Rebecca Treviño’s online petition accused Cornyn of supporting “discriminatory policies and politicians,” citing votes in Congress and opposition to affirmative action.
Commencement speeches are not a popularity contest. Cornyn’s personal story as the son of a U.S. Air Force colonel rising to a leadership role is instructive regardless whether you agree with his politics.
Texas Southern graduates enjoyed Green and Lee, according to their comments on social media. Lee talked about being the child of immigrants, and Green apparently gave them a preview of his statement Monday calling for President Trump’s impeachment.
A Cornyn speech might have spurred a protest like Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently encountered at Bethune-Cookman. There is debate within academia about whether universities should invite political leaders to lobby for support.
Regardless, students could only have learned from a speech by a sitting U.S. senator. If Cornyn gets to meet with students another time, both sides should use the occasion to build a better Texas.
This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Texas Southern students miss out on Cornyn."