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Considering convocation …

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Just as this year’s senior class officers are beginning their search for commencement speakers, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author is preparing to come to campus.

N. Scott Momaday, a renowned scholar born in Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl and raised in a rich Native American literary tradition, will speak Oct. 17 at the Chancellor’s Convocation.

While the visit of any renowned scholar is welcomed, Momaday’s appearance reverberates with uncertainties about the weight UW places on such ceremonies.

The speakers at last year’s graduation ceremonies failed to serve either of their dual purposes: to enlighten spectators and to boost the university’s national reputation. One speaker was the former owner of a battery corporation; the other was a managing partner in an investment firm. Both speakers were alumni, both Wisconsinites, and both intellectually and culturally bland.

After this disappointment, UW’s team of administrators in charge of booking notable speakers had quite a task on their hands when scheduling the Chancellor’s Convocation. Their effort, on the surface, is commendable. But holding convocation in late October? The ceremony will hardly serve its purpose of introducing freshmen to the campus and administration, being closer to finals than to the first day of class. Past years’ ceremonies have been in September.

Officials from UW say they decided to schedule the ceremony during Homecoming week to draw attention. Will the school succeed in drawing freshmen away from this other induction into college life? Soon the UW will start seeking speakers for graduation. If the Wisconsin Union Directorates’ DLS committee can get great speakers, why can’t the university, with all of its connections and resources?

It is time for the University of Wisconsin to place the value on academics that it claims to. Provide students with outlets for learning outside of the classroom and form a reputable institution that our future employers will respect — and have reason to.