NJ.COM
By Kelley Heyboer
05/05/2014
NEW BRUNSWICK -
The Rutgers College Republicans and other student groups sent a letter today to Rutgers University President Robert Barchi to express their concerns about the "hostile campus environment" created by the controversy surrounding Condoleezza Rice's withdrawal as commencement speaker.
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War criminal Condoleezza Rice |
"An (overwhelming) number of the students were disappointed in Condoleezza Rice no longer being the commencement speaker after a small minority of the student body and intolerant faculty members at Rutgers University protested loudly over the past month," Donald Coughlan, a Rutgers student and chairman of the New Jersey College Republicans, wrote on behalf of the groups.
The letter also said some students were disturbed by emails sent by faculty members encouraging them to attend a "teach-in" about Rice Tuesday and speak out against the former U.S. Secretary of State.
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Rice with drunk, retarded master George W. Bush |
Rutgers officials named Rice the university's commencement speaker in February. She was scheduled to receive an honorary doctoral degree and a $35,000 honorarium for her speech.
Last week, about 50 students staged a sit-in outside Barchi's office calling for Rutgers to rescind the invitation to Rice.
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Rice responsible for all U.S. military and Iraqi civilian deaths |
"Commencement should be a time of joyous celebration for the graduates and their families. Rutgers' invitation to me to speak has become a distraction for the university community at this very special time," Rice said.
Barchi accepted her withdrawal, but did not back down from the university's decision to invite her to speak.
"While Rutgers University stands fully behind the invitation to Dr. Rice to be our commencement speaker and receive an honorary degree, we respect the decision she made and clearly articulated in her statement this morning," Barchi said.
Rutgers has not announced who will replace Rice as speaker at the commencement ceremony at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, which is expected to attract about 40,000 people.
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