Some Words for The Class of '09

I generally thank finals for stealing me away from variationblogging. After polishing off my last final (not well, mind you) last week, I packed up my stuff and hauled everything over to Moorpark to kick the summer off. But not before going to Pomona's commencement on May 17. The ceremony was common graduation fare, minus the alma mater, of course, but I was taken by the eloquence of some of the guest speakers.

In Claremont to claim her honorary doctorate, Mary Schmich PO '75 read playfully through her spam-worthy Wear Sunscreen speech (the same one that was hijacked by Baz Luhrman and quickly became fodder for forward-happy employees the world over). Simple and elegant.

Also receiving an honorary degree, Chicano playwright Luis Valdez drew a standing ovation with his call for social activism over complaisance (and vocal support for workers' rights on campus).

THE commencement speaker was Bob Herbert, author and columnist for The New York Times. As can be expected from a newsman, Herbert's message was tempered and practical. It's a tough world the class of 2009 enters into, but it's not an impossible one. The America our generation inherits is bleaker than the those of Herbert's, but there's potential for rebirth.

Ever a sucker for graduation speeches, I took some time this week to take a survey of exercises from around the country. Here are the five I've been most impressed with:

1) Ellen Degeneres at Tulane University. How can you not like a speech that name-checks Lady Ga-Ga while advocating equal rights?

2) Michelle Obama at UC-Merced. Striking "the balance between politics and sanity," the First Lady calls on graduates to organize and give back.

3)Ben Bernanke at Boston College Law School. "Things have a way of working out," he says. I want to believe that.

4) Barack Obama at ASU. "There's always more to do. Always more to learn. And always more to achieve."

5) Eric Schmidt at UPenn. Google CEO on the newfangled world 2009 graduates inherit and what it all means.

The Fact of the Matter

I publish this begrudgingly, believing that the issues that I am pressed to discuss here are not worth my dignifying them with a response. When attacked on baseless grounds on multiple occasions, however, I believe that it is necessary that I take a firm stance to ensure that the truth--not just what has been twisted, filtered and spit out--is aired. And because this blog is meant to be a platform for my personal, not professional, musings, I will keep this short.

In his "Is Travis Kaya Up to His Old Habits of Plagiarizing the CI?," Charles Johnson of The Claremont Conservative and The Claremont Independent recently leveled some pretty hefty accusations against me regarding an article I authored for The Student Life newspaper. Published Feb. 27, the article discusses Claremont McKenna's withdrawal from the QuestBridge scholarship program, which was covered by the CI on Feb. 14. Johnson, who wrote the CI piece, says that I plagiarized the article, which is categorically false and reveals, ironically, a lack of investigation on the part of the blogger himself.

Firstly, all quotes and figures in the article were the product of my own reporting. I was in personal contact with CMC Dean of Admissions Richard Vos. All quotes from Dean Vos come from my correspondence with Dean Vos.

Secondly, The Student Life explicitly credits The Claremont Independent for the reporting that it did in its Feb. 14 piece, saying that the issue was first brought to light in that publication. It is true that my editors at The Student Life assigned me the story after learning about it in the CI, and it was duly noted. It was relevant news that TSL believed warranted coverage in its pages, albeit from a larger Pomona and 5C perspective.

Thirdly, it is obvious when comparing the CI and TSL pieces that there are a number of departure points between Johnson's reporting and my own. TSL attempted to tackle the issue from a perspective outside of the confines of CMC where Johnson centered his analysis. I include commentary from Pomona College administrators and students, where the CI piece does not. I include pertinent budget information gleaned from Trevor Hunnicutt's reporting on CMC finances, where the CI piece does not. Just as the CI provides information that TSL did not include because it did not seem immediately relevant to our readership.

Please, Mr. Johnson, descend from your high horse to take a closer look at my work before you make hasty and possibly damaging judgments. Plagiarism is not something that I take lightly, and I do not appreciate baseless accusations of plagiarism being leveled against me on such a public platform. Perhaps next time you should do a bit more investigating of your own, Charles.

Shameless Plug

I'm part of a bi-weekly student radio production on KSPC 88.7 FM Claremont called Uproot. Our staff basically covers a wide variety of local, national and international issues from a progressive, youthful point of view. We go live from 5 to 7 PM PST. If you're in the area, you can catch it on your FM dial, if not, you can always stream KSPC from your computer. Thanks!

Tragedy.

I got word today that Jill Walker Robinson, my former boss at the Pomona College Office of Communications, died on November 17 while traveling in Texas. She was 44. I only worked under her for a semester before she left Pomona to start her own publishing company, but I will be eternally grateful for her support and guidance during that time. She was a great mentor, a great friend and a great person.

Here's the story from News 8 in Austin.

Luda!

Got an email from ASPC [Associated Students of Pomona College] today which was sort of depressing seeing as I'm 5,000 miles away from where this is going down. It read:

Ludacris tickets go on sale TOMORROW (10/23) at Bridges Auditorium at 9:00am for a Saturday, November 22^nd show.

Tickets are $35.00 w/ 5-C ID

Just when I thought I would finally get to see "Saturday (Oooh Oooh!)" live...