Connecticut College

Camels Petition for Voice in Commencement Speaker Choice

Isaac Hancock, Conn ’12, has started a petition on Change.org urging the college’s administration to invoke more students’ input when choosing a Commencement Speaker. The document is a reaction to the tapping of Louis B. Susman by President Higdon, despite the fact that Susman’s Chicago firm is still under investigation for mortgage fraud. It also alleges that Susman’s post as U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. was a gratuitous achievement, the result of large donations to the Obama Campaign rather than merit.

The petition concludes, “ We are not suggesting that everyone on campus is opposed to Susman, but we do think it is the student’s right to know who he is, why he was selected, and decide for themselves if he represents Conn.”

As of the publishing of this post, the petition has garnered 173 out of the target 200 signatures, with many signatories choosing to comment.