Giuliani addresses graduates; protestors turn backs during speech

A small number of students left the floor of the Carrier Dome while others stood in protest as former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, addressed Syracuse University graduates at Sunday’s commencement ceremony.

The students who protested inside the Dome stood with their backs facing Giuliani and their right fists in the air while he spoke. They wore red armbands for what one called ‘the great amount of bloodshed that came from African Americans while Giuliani was in office.’

More than 10 of the students refused to comment on the protest, but electrical engineering major Brandi McLeod said she stood to let Giuliani know he was not welcome at SU.

‘We did not want Giuliani to speak here,’ she said. ‘We made a point and maybe he understands after today that African Americans and minorities are not happy with what he did during his time as mayor.’

Controversy about Giuliani’s visit to SU began in March, soon after it was announced that the former mayor would speak at commencement. Students distributed anti-Giuliani posters on campus, held teach-ins to discuss Giuliani’s actions during his term and members of the Student Association’s Assembly passed a resolution, ‘No Giuliani at commencement.’



At contention was the alleged racial profiling of blacks and Latinos as well as the deaths of Amadou Diallo and Patrick Dorisman and abuse inflicted upon Abner Louima, all during Giuliani’s two terms in office.

Giuliani said he was not surprised or discouraged to see the protesters.

‘Protests don’t bother me at all,’ Giuliani said. ‘People have every right to protest and I have very strong opinions. People disagree with me and they have every right to do that.’

Giuliani said that he told SU Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw that he ‘would feel at home’ if there were protests during his time at SU.

Giuliani said he accepted invitations to speak at only two colleges, one in New York state, and one outside at Georgetown University. Giuliani said he chose SU because of what he calls a ‘real attachment and great respect for the school.’ SU’s College of Law conferred an honorary law degree on the former mayor in 1989.

During his address to the class of 2002, Giuliani told students that they’re not facing as grim and destructive a world as most seem to think it has become since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

‘The reality is that New York and America are not more dangerous than they were before September 11,’ he said. ‘The reality is that we are less dangerous now and that we are safer than we were before because we’re dealing with reality now.

‘Before September 11 we were living like there was a cloud in front of us, a veil in front of our eyes and we didn’t know there was a hate that strong.’

In what the crowd of graduates and family members seemed to interpret as a statement against his opponents at the Dome, Giuliani explained why terrorists targeted the U.S. on Sept. 11

‘We were attacked because we’re a country of beliefs and philosophy,’ he said. ‘There is no American ethnic groups-we’re all ethic groups. There is no American religion-we’re all religions or none. There is no American race-were all races and all combination of races.’

Giuliani finished by telling graduates that they will succeed as long as they possess two qualities.

‘You need a belief and courage,’ he said. ‘You need to know what you believe in, and you need to believe in it strongly.’

Shaw, who spoke before Giuliani, also discussed a trait that graduates should have while exiting academia and entering the work force. Despite the poor job market that many of graduates face, a positive attitude would take the students further than they might imagine, he said.

‘There have been better times to be looking for work, but there have been many worse times. The job market is a variable thing,’ Shaw said. ‘Attitude however, is something up to you.’

After the ceremony, university spokesman Kevin Morrow said he was pleased with the peaceful action student protestors took. He said students were told they could protest Giuliani’s speech as long as they did without interrupting commencement.

‘The students who made their silent protest did so in a very responsible way and we’re glad they didn’t disrupt the ceremony,’ Morrow said.

About 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students graduated from SU, as well as more than 350 from State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Dave Rumschik, a graduating finance and broadcast journalism major, said a group of protesting students blocked the view of several graduates from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Many of the students seated behind the protesters moved to nearby seats so they could see Giuliani speak.

Rumschik said he was able to see from where he was seated, and that he would have been disappointed if the protesters had stood in front of him.

‘I’m glad they didn’t disturb my graduation,’ Rumschik said. ‘They have the right to protest if they want but I’m just glad they didn’t ruin the day.’

Jason Leipzig, however, said that when another group of protesters stood in front of him, he and his friends immediately rose facing the former mayor.

‘We stood up facing the right way,’ said Leipzig, an English and textual studies graduate. ‘Our first thoughts were ‘we need to give them a statement right back,’ ‘ he said.

Tim Donoghue, an accounting and finance graduate, agreed.

‘Giuliani deserves respect for all he’s done,’ he said.

But McLeod disagreed.

‘Any mayor would have done what he did after September 11,’ she said. ‘They’d have to.’





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