Re “Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker? Anybody Got a Mr. Speaker ‘Round Here?”
[img]2574|right|Board President Anthony Fellow, President Dr. Mark Rocha. Courier Photo.||no_popup[/img]One is forced to bust the speed limit to chart the dizzying rate of changes of heart by the leadership of troubled Pasadena City College.
Philip McCormick of the Pasadena City College Courier reported that the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to apologize last night and re-invite Oscar winner and PCC alumnus Dustin Lance Black as next Friday’s commencement speaker.
The Board said it was acting on a recommendation from the administration earlier yesterday.
That was an hour ago, however.
Will the verdict hold up through today?
For eight more days, until Graduation Day?
Mr. McCormick wrote that the Board’s call ain’t final, final. The speaker’s rostrum may yet go bare.
If Mr. Black says no, the grads may be reduced to sitting there for awhile and staring at each other. In silence, of course.
According to Mr. McCormick:
“Controversy arose over commencement speaker choices after Mr. Black, who was on the Board-approved shortlist of potential speakers, said he was disinvited by the college to speak.
“According to administration officials, they feared sexually explicit photos of “Black, that had surfaced on the internet in 2006, would tarnish the school’s reputation.
“The Board earnestly hopes that Mr. Black will accept its invitation to speak and to begin to heal the breach in our relationship with an alumnus whom the Board greatly admires…” the recommendation said.
“In the event Mr. Black is not available, the Board further authorizes the superintendent-President to conduct the 2014 Commencement exercises in a manner ‘friendly to the graduates and their families’ but with no outside speaker.”
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