MAIL:

Dear Professor Marius:

It gives me little pleasure that one of the first acts I will undertake as an alumnus of this College is to compose a letter of complaint. Nevertheless, I feel very strongly that I must register my displeasure with the selection of the Commencement Speakers for my graduation.

In particular, I am ashamed and embarrassed at the "Undergraduate English Oration," written and delivered by Karen Fingerman '87. This speech, supposedly an example of the finest eloquence Harvard and Radcliffe can muster, was delivered in an undistinguished style, riddled with the moronic cliches Harvard students have tried to live down for years, and written with the wit and grace I might expect from a not very intelligent ninth grader in a remedial composition course. To judge from the comments of my friends and the reaction of the audience, I surmise I was not alone in finding this speech insulting in its unctuous stupidity.

I find the selection of this speech doubly astounding when I consider the field of fine speeches you had to choose from. As a competitor in the first round, I had the opportunity to listen to a number of the entries, and there were several impressive candidates. I recall in particular a speech delivered on the theme of being an Oklahoman that was one of the finest pieces of oratory I ever had the pleasure of hearing. So you and the committee that chose Ms. Fingerman cannot hide behind the defense that this was the best you could unearth. And if you, yourself, are convinced that this was the best undergraduate speech you had to pick, I can only hope that you would retire from this responsibility in favor of someone who can distinguish brilliance from balderdash.

There is speculation in many quarters that Ms. Fingerman was chosen out of concern that women were under-represented among the speeches. Of this is true, I can only protest more vehemently at the judgment of the judges.

I would also note that the graduate orator was pretty much of a yawn, but my unfamiliarity with the field of candidates, and the fact that he was not being held up as a representative of undergraduate prowess, makes me less concerned about his selection. It was only Martin Brinkly's exceptional Latin Oration that prevented this part of Commencement from turning into an unmitigated disaster.

Professor Marius, I realize that this Commencement was just one of many that you have been involved in. This was, however, my only Commencement. It did little for me, my parents or my friends to witness the class of 1987 boo and hiss their own orator. Coupled with the mediocre performance of last year's undergraduate speaker, I am concerned that the process of choosing speakers has become a travesty. Only my memory of the stirring performance given by last year's graduate speaker, and this year's Latin Oration, give me hope that the present method of choosing speakers can be reformed--perhaps by a more careful selection of judges or the addition of student representatives to the board.

I am chagrined that you could have let matters come to such a pass. Since I will certainly attend Harvard Commencements in the future in order to see friends graduate, I hope I can look forward to hearing a better calibre of speechmaking. Cyrus M. Sanai '87