CHICAGO – When Alex Aixala looked ahead to his graduation from Northwestern Law School in May, he envisioned a commencement speaker who would shower the crowd with uplifting words of wisdom.
“I honestly feel like the purpose of a graduation speaker is to inspire you to make the world a better place,” said Aixala, whose favorite part of law school was working with its free legal clinic for the poor.
A trash-television legend whose talk show rewards guests who flash their breasts was not exactly what he had in mind. So when word spread that Jerry Springer was to give the address, Aixala joined many of his classmates in signing petitions against the choice.
Their objection, however, was overruled.
Last week, the students who selected Springer announced in an e-mail to classmates that their decision had faculty approval and was final, emphasizing that he was also an Emmy-winning news anchor and political commentator who had drawn large crowds at previous speaking engagements.
On Sunday, Springer, a 1968 alumnus of the law school, confirmed that he will deliver the address.
“The students invited me, and I’m honored,” Springer said through his publicist, Linda Shafran. Though he has spoken on numerous college campuses, Shafran said, this will be Springer’s first commencement address.
Controversies have swirled around commencement speakers before, as universities trying to draw attention to themselves have lured high-profile figures – sometimes with hefty fees or honorary degrees – only to see the choices spark anger among students and, sometimes, faculty.
In some cases, students are offended by the speaker’s views or policy positions. In 1993, to protest the ban on gays in the military, hundreds of graduates and some faculty members at Harvard University stood and turned their backs on Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when he delivered the commencement address.
In other cases, speakers have been targeted for not being serious enough, as was the case at Columbia University several years ago when certain students turned their noses up at the selection of Matthew Fox, a star on the TV show “Lost.”
Northwestern, too, has experienced commencement controversy before. In 1999, students opposed to economic sanctions against Iraq and the bombing of Yugoslavia protested when then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was picked as speaker. But the issue became moot when Albright dropped out, saying she was detained in Europe because of the crisis in Kosovo.
In the law school, the commencement speaker is selected by a committee of students and approved by the administration. Word of this year’s pick spread throughout the broader student body a couple of weeks ago, Aixala said.
It won’t be Springer’s first time speaking at Northwestern. In recent years, he has made several speeches in other settings on campus, raging against the Iraq war and what he sees the media’s bias toward the elite.
But as his critics in the law school see it, he is not suited to speak at commencement. They say Springer, who was forced to resign from the Cincinnati City Council after he was caught paying for a prostitute, has built up “The Jerry Springer Show” by exploiting the down-and-out.
“People feel like he has made his name and fame by taking advantage of people,” Aixala said. “That, and all his scandals in Cincinnati, made people feel like he was not the image they wanted at graduation. They didn’t want their parents to see that.”
Opponents shared their frustration through a student listserv. Soon, Aixala said, petitions started to swirl.
One mass e-mail sent to law school Dean David Van Zandt and posted on the blog Above the Law expressed “a deep sense of anger, embarrassment and surprise” that the speaker would be “the sensationalist, ratings-seeking, instigator of daytime television.”
“I and our fellow students with strong heart and voice respectfully say no to having Mr. Springer speak before us,” the letter said. “There is still plenty of time to find someone more worthy of our pride and joy on graduation day.”
Instead of scrapping Springer, the graduation committee and Van Zandt decided to add a second speaker, Clifford Redish, one of the law school’s most popular professors.
Members of the graduation committee, who could not be reached for comment, said in their e-mail to classmates last Monday that the protests led to the idea of adding Redish. “We understand that our decision is a cause of serious concern for you,” the email read.
Redish, the committee noted, “is beloved, adored, and epitomizes the intellectual strength of our faculty and institution.”
In a written statement, Van Zandt defended the decision to move forward with Springer, pointing out that he had held public office and enjoyed success in the news and entertainment industries.
“We look forward to Mr. Springer’s participation at commencement,” Van Zandt said in the statement.
Redish said he was enthusiastic about sharing the stage with Springer. He was a loyal listener of the political radio show Springer once had, he said, and shared his liberal views. He has never seen “The Jerry Springer Show” but does not hold the show against him.
“His TV renders him a complex individual,” Redish said. “To the extent that students or anyone equates him with completely with that show is just wrong.”
Aixala did not think students would continue to protest.
“Most people are like OK, we said our piece,” Aixala said. “Now we’ll just have to accept it.”
