SOUTH BEND The University of Notre Dame, facing a difficult decision about whether to invite President Donald Trump to be its commencement speaker, will instead host Vice President Mike Pence at the May 21 graduation ceremony.
Pence, the former Indiana governor, will be the first vice president of the United States to deliver the commencement address. He will also receive an honorary degree.
"It is fitting that in the 175th year of our founding on Indiana soil that Notre Dame recognize a native son who served our state and now the nation with quiet earnestness, moral conviction and a dedication to the common good characteristic of true statesmen," the Rev. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, said in a written statement. "With his own brand of reserved dignity, Mike Pence instilled confidence on the state level then, and on the world stage now. We are proud to welcome him to represent the new administration."
Pence said in a press release that he is humbled by Notre Dame's invitation.
The young adults in the Class of 2017 will leave school with the charge and opportunity to make new discoveries and assume leadership roles that will make a profound impact benefiting the lives of millions of people," Pence said. "The hopes of their parents and our country go with them as they enter a world filled with optimism for the future.
The invitation to Pence helps Notre Dame side-step a potential controversy over a Trump appearance.
In December, news that Jenkins was considering inviting Trump to be the commencement speaker prompted more than 2,700 students, employees and alumni to sign a petition urging the university not to invite him. Jenkins said at the time that he was worried about the distractions a Trump appearance could cause.
"I continue to believe it is important to recognize and listen to our country's elected leader, whatever their views," Jenkins told The Tribune in December. "At the same time, I do not want the surrounding controversy to distract from the central purpose of commencement a joyful celebration of our graduates and their families."
Jenkins faced a wave of criticism when he invited President Barack Obama as the commencement speaker and presented him with an honorary degree in 2009. Much of the criticism focused on Obama's support for abortion rights.
Notre Dame has not revealed whether Jenkins invited Trump and the president declined, or whether Jenkins opted to invite Pence instead.
The Notre Dame College Democrats on Thursday expressed dismay about the Pence invitation, saying the Trump administration has "shown a basic disregard for the fundamental rights of so many communities."
The fact that it is Pence doesnt really change much, said Andrew Gallo, president of the ND College Democrats. In Father Jenkins statement, he said that he was going to welcome the vice president as a (representative) of the administration. Its is pretty clear to us that he is standing with the administration as a whole.
The invitation, coupled with Jenkins recent decision to not declare Notre Dame a sanctuary campus for immigrant students, is a pretty clear signal of where Jenkins policies lie," he added.
The Notre Dame College Republicans declined a Tribune request to comment.
Notre Dame senior Liz Hynes isn't pleased with the selection of Pence as speaker.
She cited his slow response as governor to the spread of HIV among intravenous drug users in rural Scott County. Pence was opposed to needle exchanges on the grounds such programs encouraged drug abuse, though he later signed an emergency order allowing such a program.
"He came at it from a position of moral superiority," rather than immediately taking steps to attack the problem, she said.
Junior Michael Krebs, a member of the universitys Right to Life Club, said he understands the difficult position Jenkins was in and respects his decision.
Youre never going to find a speaker who is going to make everyone happy, Krebs said. Theres always going to be opinions on either sideI think it is a valiant effort at compromising and trying to foster conversation.
Jason Ruiz, an American studies professor at Notre Dame, believes Pence's invitation is an attempt to be conciliatory in a reaction to student activists opposing Trump as a possible speaker.
The Pence visit, however, opens a new set of concerns related to his tenure as governor, including the religious freedom act and his stance on Syrian refugees.
"I'm sure that Pence will draw protests," said Ruiz, who doesn't plan to attend the main commencement ceremony this year.
Four U.S. presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter have given the Notre Dame commencement address during their first year in office. Two others, Dwight Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush, also served as Notre Dame commencement speakers while in office.
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Notre Dame invites Mike Pence to speak at graduation, avoiding Trump controversy - South Bend Tribune