Students Don’t Vote, Complain About Results

Evidently, there is a fair amount of dissension among graduating seniors about the choice of Jeff Immelt ’78 as the commencement speaker. The complaints range from, “We want somebody who has made a greater impact on the world” to “I don’t think he’ll be funny and engaging enough” to “We’re once again suffering Harvard penis-envy because they’ve got Kofi Annan.” I’ll let the seniors address the first and last complaints, but I went to Greener Ventures, and can attest that the a priori criticisms of his speaking style are unfounded. Also, I find it very intriguing that only ONE senior in the whole class turned in nominations for speaker and honorary degree recipients, yet many are voicing their disappointment. Personally, I feel Immelt is a great choice: a brilliant example of the type of success to which a Dartmouth education can lead you. Then again, I’m not the one graduating.