Search underway for student speakers at commencement

With spring commencement just a few weeks away, preparations to select innovation and student commencement speakers are underway.

All three speakers will participate in programs that were created in recent years in order to incorporate greater student involvement in graduation ceremonies.

Next month the commencement invocation speech at both the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies will be given by two students appointed by Terry Mcginn, a lecturer in the sociology department. The format was initiated this past spring.

"In 1996, the University was still using the method of inviting individual clergy from the community to do the invocation," said Mcginn, a pastor at Northside Community Church in Ann Arbor.

Mcginn was selected to give the 1996 invocation and invited his class to participate in writing the speech. Last year, Mcginn said he wanted to repeat the experiment and suggested the address be presented by a student.

"It seems to me that graduation should be a student-focused event," Mcginn said. "I believe that whatever a student says ... is more acceptable and less offensive to other students than a religious or clergy person."

Mcginn selected the invocation speakers from his class of about 40 students who are sophomores through seniors and said the invocation is a good opportunity for his students to see the issues involved in the separation of church and state, such as invocation speeches given by clergy.

"Even though the remarks are less theistic than they once were, there is still a role for opening remarks that set the tone," Mcginn said. "I suspect there will continue to be ... some sort of opening exercise."

The students selected to speak will write their own speeches but will be aided by their classmates, Mcginn said.

"Each of the students composed their own invocation with ideas from other members of the class," Mcginn said.

Associate Director of University Events Jacque Dunham said she has worked with Mcginn to ensure that no specific religious sect is given predominance during the invocation.

"I worked with Terry to get a message that is appealing to all students and attendees at commencement, (so) that there is no religious bias whatsoever," Dunham said.

The committee of students, faculty and staff chosen to select the student commencement speaker should be formed by the end of the week, said Coordinator of Executive Communications Mary Jo Frank, who has been a committee member for the past two years.

This will be the third year a student commencement speaker has been selected to speak at the graduation ceremonies, a tradition initiated by students.

"The idea was that students should have a greater role in commencement," said Lisa Baker, associate vice president for University relations.

Students are also asked to submit an tape recorded and typed copy of their speeches, which are judged anonymously, Dunham said.

"When we get the speeches in ... we take the names of the speakers off, so someone wouldn't know whose speech they were reading," Frank said. "Originally, it's been thought that people would know each other."

Applications for student commencement speaker will be accepted until April 13 and can be turned into Mary Jo Frank in room 2040 of the Fleming Administration Building.

04-02-98