EDIT: Romney deserves to speak

For many graduating college students, listening to a high-profile speaker during commencement is an important part of graduation. But for some students at Suffolk University, the decision to have Gov. Mitt Romney speak during commencement was the wrong decision and one that has stirred up controversy.

Many Suffolk students are opposed to having Romney speak during their May 23 ceremony because of his open opposition to gay marriages. Students are concerned that Romney’s beliefs will be mistaken as the university’s and may make gay and lesbian students in the audience uncomfortable. The timing of the commencement ceremony itself has worried many, as the event will take place a mere six days after the first gay marriages begin on May 17. But Suffolk has done an excellent job bringing in such a high-profile speaker – especially considering the national attention that has been given to Massachusetts and Romney regarding the Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling to allow gay marriages.

Bringing in a high-profile speaker means drawing attention to the school. Suffolk is a small, relatively unknown school, and bringing a big-name speaker like the governor will bring the school a great deal of publicity and esteem.

The entire student body will never be able to agree with one person’s views, and while students have every right to be upset about the decision to have Romney speak, they should productively voice their opposition. Students opposed to the decision should take advantage of the publicity the event will bring and demonstrate their opposition in a number of ways, such as protesting outside during the ceremony.

Stopping a person students disagree with from speaking also goes against the spirit of college, which is supposed to be a time for free exchanges of different ideas. Students should listen to Romney, feel free to disagree and discuss his beliefs.

Romney is coming to Suffolk to inspire the school’s graduates and to speak about the real world outside of college. While many political figures use commencement addresses as major policy speeches, it is highly unlikely that Romney will address the gay marriage issue – especially due to the extreme sensitivity of the subject. Many universities will not get a commencement speaker as good as Romney, and Suffolk students should be happy that their school has acquired such a high-profile speaker. The decision to bring in Romney and the opposition to that decision have already placed Suffolk in the news, and the publicity will only continue when he does in fact speak. While students have every right to oppose the school’s decision, they must voice that disagreement in the proper manner. Students may not agree with Romney but they will still learn something from him if they listen to what he has to say.