<p>Either the protesters were not allowed onto the Commencement Lawn or were dead silent, because I didn’t see or hear any of them. It was a wonderful ceremony and I got to sit next to my two best friends. It was an emotionally draining (but wonderful) day.</p>
<p>I’m glad it worked out and congrats on your achievement.</p>
<p>Thank you! 
And PS, we did get the tires on my car checked out yesterday. Had to replace the front two, but now we’re safe to drive it home.</p>
<p>Congratulations, HGFM! I’m so glad to hear that the graduation went smoothly, and that the ceremony was everything you hoped it would be. </p>
<p>Weill Hall at the Green Music Center, which was fashioned after the Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, is going to be one of the premier concert halls in the country It’s pretty amazing to have a venue of its caliber on a state university campus. Perhaps the graduation ceremonies will be moved to the outdoor amphitheater when it is completed.</p>
<p>[Joan</a> and Sanford I. Weill Hall](<a href=“http://gmc.sonoma.edu/visit/about-hall/about_Weill_Hall/]Joan”>http://gmc.sonoma.edu/visit/about-hall/about_Weill_Hall/)</p>
<p>I’m, sorry, I didn’t mean to hijack your thread, but I can’t believe how spectacular the concert hall is, both in appearance and acoustics. I don’t recall hearing about anyone protesting when the Weills donated the money.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you in your new adventures in graduate school, and please post on CC to let us know how things are going.</p>
<p>When I was teaching years ago at a small private religiously-affiliated (liberal) college, we had a baccalaureate speaker who was a deacon of some kind in that church. He gave a speech that was racist and anti-immigrant, even referred to “dumb” insert Spanish-speaking nationality. The speech was not only racist but just plain ignorant. He referred to a popular song that year called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and the singer Bobby McFerrin as one of the aforementioned nationality, which he was not. </p>
<p>I was extremely offended. A few students walked out. Had I been in the audience, I would have as well, but the faculty was seated behind the speaker at the pulpit, and I would basically have had to excuse myself to slip by him. </p>
<p>I didn’t think protest would have been inappropriate, just not disrupting the whole thing. That was also the last time I ever attended a baccalaureate serivce while I was teaching at that school.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is respectful to students to give honorary degrees to Sandy and Joan Weill.</p>
<p>“Sandy Weill ended his employment as CEO with Citigroup in 2003 and as Chairman of the board in 2006. This was several years before the financial crisis.”</p>
<p>Yup. He just drove the nails. He wasn’t there when the building collapsed.</p>
<p>Let them donate music centers and cut ribbons.</p>
<p>Congrats on your graduation!</p>