BREAKING: Bill Clinton to speak at Commencement

President Bill Clinton will speak at LMU’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 7.

“His commitment to improving the lives of other people, during and beyond his career in U.S. politics, embodies the ethos of becoming women and men with and for others,” said LMU President Timothy Law Snyder in a press release. “President Clinton will inspire our graduates as they seek to lead lives of meaning, purpose, and global impact.”

Clinton served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 as a member of the Democratic Party. During his two terms, he presided over the United States’ longest peacetime economic expansion. Before that, he served twice as governor in his home state of Arkansas.

After his tenure as president, he founded the Clinton Foundation, a non-profit with the mission to “strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence,” according to the Foundation’s website. In particular, the Foundation’s work has focused on global health, education and economic development initiatives.

Despite Clinton’s philanthropic efforts, some members of the LMU community have expressed dissent for the choice of speaker. RenewLMU, “an alliance to strengthen LMU’s catholic identity,” has made a petition to disinvite Clinton, according to the group’s website. They listed several reasons that detail why they believe Clinton should not speak at this years commencement ceremony, including his involvement in a sex scandal with 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky in 1998, his pro-choice views expressed in the past and his marriage to Hillary Clinton, one of the Democratic candidates for the presidency, which they argue will politicize Commencement.

The Rev. Allan Figueroa Deck, S.J., rector of the LMU Jesuit community, responded to the dissatisfaction expressed by RenewLMU and others.

“In conferring this honor LMU does not endorse all of Mr. Clinton’s past or current policies nor condone all his actions,” Deck told the Loyolan via email. “Rather, the University recognizes the extraordinary service he has given to civil society and his lifetime connection to Catholic and Jesuit higher education as a Georgetown University alumnus.”

According to an email sent to graduating students by University Registrar Kathy Reed on Friday, each student participating in the ceremony will receive 10 tickets to distribute to friends and family. Tickets will be required for entry to Sunken Garden, and the festivities will take place on Saturday, May 7, at 9:30 a.m.

Clinton’s nephew, Tyler Clinton, will be one of 1,400 undergraduate students participating in the commencement ceremony.