Arizona State University: "We Blew It," Alumni Rescind Donations

By GottaLaff

ASU refused to give President Obama an honorary degree because he hasn't, you know, accomplished enough yet. Now ASU explains that they would have given him the degree, but was worried about appearing insincere. Well then, let me insincerely respond: That was the best save ever. That fixes everything! You are redeemed:

The Arizona State University community is expressing anger and embarrassment in response to ASU's decision not to award President Barack Obama an honorary degree when he gives the commencement speech there next month. An ASU spokesperson now confesses, "we blew it," and concedes that the university likely would have conferred the honorary degree, but once it became a controversy, ASU administrators were too worried about appearing insincere. [...]

Nearly every email expressed shame over the decision made by their alma mater. One alumnus, Dr. Neil Francis, wrote from Thailand to say he will no longer wear his Arizona State University ball cap -- even halfway around the world. Several said that they did not believe the story when they first heard it: they thought the story was a satirical news piece or a holdover from April Fool's Day.

Many Huffington Post readers wrote in to say that they would be withholding donations. Some said they would even remove endowments from their wills. The detrimental effect that this debacle will almost certainly have on fundraising could not come at a worse time, since the state legislature has recently enacted major funding cuts. [...]

Even Republicans wrote in to say that ASU should give Obama the honorary degree. The theme centers around fairness. Those who are not Obama supporters say that ASU should not have invited Obama to address the graduating class if they were not prepared to give him the traditional honorary degree. Some even said they disagree with the tradition of giving honorary degrees but argued that if the university gives them to anyone, then Obama must surely qualify. [...]

Some questioned the motives of Saturday's announcement that ASU would honor Obama by renaming the ASU Advantage program, a scholarship for low income students, the President Barack Obama Scholars program. Carl Schuh, a doctoral candidate in the ASU Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, says renaming an existing scholarship program is good but not enough.

ASU and the state's other two universities are politically progressive, unlike Arizona itself. Unfortunately, once again, because of ASU's bureaucratic ineptitude, Arizona is perceived as racist and ignorant. It is the responsibility of ASU President Michael M. Crow to make a dramatic speech reversing what appears to be the university's stance on not honoring the President of the United States.

[S]tudents, staff, faculty, and parents want Obama to know that they honor his presidency. Quite a few alumni wrote to Huffington Post to say they are mailing copies of their diplomas to university President Michael Crow and asking him to give them to Obama. A local columnist reportedly heard the same. A few are emailing diplomas directly to the White House. According to well connected student politicos at ASU, this is not a concerted effort, but rather independent activity on behalf of a large number of like-minded individuals.

ASU now says they have not yet made a decision whether to confer an honorary degree on Obama, but he may receive a diploma (or several) when he gives the commencement address at ASU regardless -- the diplomas will just have other people's names on them.

They blew it.