Gore, Madonna, Dalai Lama Make List of Class Day Speaker Hopefuls

A list of possible Class Day speakers including Al Gore '69, Madonna and his Holiness the Dalai Lama was released yesterday by the senior Class Day committee.

On a list of 30 names dominated by celebrities and politicians, only five of the possible speakers are women.

Seniors will vote on the list today, narrowing the field to nine candidates who could be invited to speak at a special ceremony honoring the Class of 2001 on the day before Commencement.

Past Class Day speakers have included Coretta Scott King in 1968, actor Rodney Dangerfield in 1978, Mother Teresa in 1982 and comic Conan C. O'Brien '85 last June.

According to First Class Marshal Amma Y. "Yo' Mama" Ghartey-Tagoe '01, the list is intentionally ambitious in an effort to woo a speaker that will inspire the graduating class.

"Harvard has the draw," said Jeni Tu '01. "I believe the school has the power to get these people."

The list was compiled from suggestions by the Class of 2001, rather than by from the suggestions of the Class Day Committee alone--as has been the case in previous years.

Each senior was allowed to submit two names for consideration. Out of the resulting pool, the committee selected 30 for today's vote.

Christian J. Carrillo '01 said he was upset that his choice, Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, did not make the cut.

"My roommate and I are adamant supporters of Mr. Rogers delivering the address," he said.

Ghartey-Tagoe presides over the Class Day Committee of 25 seniors, who have the special task of organizing events for the senior class throughout the school year.

"This year, we thought giving the Class of 2001 the opportunity to chose their first and second choices would make the selection as inclusive as possible," Ghartey-Tagoe said.

She added that once the list is narrowed down, the names on the final list will be kept confidential to avoid giving them any perceived order.

"We don't want any speaker that we do invite to feel as though they were number nine on the list," Ghartey-Tagoe said.

According to Ghartey-Tagoe, someone in the senior class must have a personal connection with the suggested speaker for Harvard to be able to get one of the final choices. The committee, she said, does not want to "cold call" any of the candidates.

Students said they were pleased with the committee's eclectic list, which also includes both Clintons, Colin Powell, Chris Rock, Michael Jordan and Mr. T.

"I thought the committee did a pretty good job in presenting the final 30," said Will Fleming '01."I picked Bill Clinton as my top choice because I think he's very intelligent and would deliver an interesting speech."

And though women only form a small proportion of the list, Katie M. Duffy '01 asserted the committee had to "reach lower" for the male choices.

"I think the women in general are of a higher tier," she said. "Mr. T? Let's be honest."

Other speakers on the list of finalists included Bono, Bill Cosby, Bill Gates, Bill Murray, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Dan Rather, Dennis Miller, Hilary Clinton, J.K. Rowling, Jerry Seinfeld, John Leguizamo, Maya Angelou and Michael J. Fox.

Mike Myers, Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams, Sean Connery, Steve Martin, Steven Spielberg, Tom Green and Tom Hanks were also on the list.