The Daily Collegian

Issue date: 5/11/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Toan Trinh, Collegian Supporters of the University's decision to award former chief of staff Andrew Card with an honorary degree led a counter-protest yesterday.

The range of interest about the pending honorary degree that the University of Massachusetts is awarding to former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card is broadening, as more students in favor of awarding Card the degree are being heard.

Dozens of UMass students and faculty angrily protested the decision to award the honorary degree to Card yesterday afternoon, but there was a minority of Card supporters who made their voices heard.

Students supportive of Card who attended the rally included Edward Cutting, a 41-year-old graduate student, who held up a large neon sign that read, "Pro Card." Cutting said that Card deserves an honorary degree for his work as a Massachusetts legislator.

"This degree is being given for his public service achievements, and he deserves it. There seems to be no tolerance for conservatives on this campus," Cutting declared.

"There is a lack of political diversity here," he added. "Republicans are people, too, and people on this campus just want to protest us for any reason."

In contrast, graduate student Kyle Brady said he did not want the attention of Card, the media or protestors at his graduation.

"I have family flying in all the way from Arizona for my graduation, and I don't want it to be ruined by having a controversial figure like Card, all these protesters and media people there. I just want to have a peaceful graduation like everyone else. I didn't ask for all this," Brady said.

While UMass President Jack Wilson vigorously defended the nomination of Card for an honorary degree, the question of who's responsible for the nomination - and who's moved it forward - remains murky, and became even more so in a memo from Janet Rifkin, the Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

On Sunday evening, Rifkin wrote to a group of interested faculty and administrators, stating that while she didn't exactly nominate Card for the award, she didn't try to block it either.

In a memo written in the passive voice, which obscures who took the lead in the nomination, Rifkin wrote: "Many of you have asked my role in this process. To set the record straight: 1. Card's nomination for an honorary degree was not initiated by me. 2. Early in the fall semester, I was asked whether an honorary doctorate of public service would appropriately fall within the purview of CSBS. I responded in the affirmative.

"3. When later informed that Card's candidacy was indeed to be put forward, I was asked as Dean of CSBS to sign the letter of support. I agreed to do so. 4. I wanted to let you know that I will neither be hosting nor conferring the honorary degree upon Andrew Card during the Commencement ceremonies."

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