The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Opinions

Risqué reputation

Keynote speaker an interesting choice in light of recent harassment cases

Everyone wants a big name to speak at graduation - someone who will inspire you as well as make you laugh.

Either way, you want someone who will make you forget the heat while sitting in Sanford Stadium in black gowns. That being said, the announcement that Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas will be the speaker at this May's undergraduate commencement ceremony was nothing if not interesting.

True, Thomas is a Georgia native, and he has played a role in some of the nation's most important judicial decisions of the last two decades.

But when many hear the name "Clarence Thomas," they do not think about his beliefs in states' rights and free speech. They think about the allegations of sexual harassment levied against Thomas right before he was sworn into the Supreme Court.

He was accused of sexual harassment by colleague Anita Hill, who testified during his Senate confirmation hearing, as reported on page five of today's Red & Black.

In a year when sexual harassment has been one of the hottest topics on this campus, to bring in Thomas to speak is puzzling, to say the least. If the University was having problems with mental illness among faculty, it would not invite Tom Cruise to speak to graduating students.

In both cases, nothing has been proven to incriminate either man, but the impression sticks.

We appreciate the University's efforts to bring a high-caliber speaker for graduation and we realize these arrangements might have been made long in advance, but we also are aware that when Thomas speaks May 10, just as many people may be whispering and snickering as will be listening intently.

- Phillip Kisubika for the editorial board

Pricey parking

If you're on a tight budget, you may have to consider other parking options

Well it's happened. Parking Services has raised prices for the first time in six years by $10 per month.

We understand the reasons for increasing parking pass prices, as prices of just about everything - tuition, gas, groceries - are going up, but it puts cash-strapped college students in even more of a bind.

Additionally, not all parking decks are created equal. It already is difficult for students to get the most convenient parking deck, and now many will have to pay $90 more per year to park across campus from their classes.

For students who may be turned off by higher parking prices, there are several alternative options for transportation to and from campus. For one, parking is free on some city streets around campus. Just be sure it's not banned wherever you try to park. Some of the campus ministries and shops on Baxter Street also offer parking for a discounted rate.

It is also important to consider that most of the popular apartment complexes are serviced by Athens Transit. University students are able to swipe their UGA IDs and use these buses at any time, so this is a free and convenient way to manage your transportation to and from campus.

As the national economy limps along, University students are feeling the pain through increased prices from every angle. We're all in the same boat, and the college degree we pay for will help our incomes much more in the end.

- Matt Brandenburgh for the editorial board

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