Last Saturday’s first-year move in and opening convocation was beautiful and full of excitement, but the day did not go without controversy.
During the convocation, the president of the DePauw Alumni Association, Don Phelan '79, gave a short speech to the class of 2019 on behalf of the alumni. During his speech Phelan made several comments that were considered offensive by some students, families, faculty and staff.
“The moms I can see have tissues in their hands, and the dads have this pained look on their faces from carrying God-knows-what in the weight of luggage up three-and-half flights of stairs in Bishop Roberts Hall,” Phelan said.
Phelan continued by saying, “And moms, just a quick reminder, we’re just sending them to college--not sending them to Syria.”
There were other points in the speech that made some people in the audience uncomfortable, including the injection of some politically geared comments.
In an email sent to faculty and staff, new Vice President of Academics, Anne Harris, addressed the comments made by Phelan on Saturday saying that they were “inappropriate and off-point to the event.”
Harris continued by saying that “President Casey has spoken to Mr. Phelan, who—noting his regret, sadness and embarrassment over his comments—has offered a formal apology.”
She went on to state that the comments made were not in line with the university and not the message that the university wished to send to the first-year students and their families. She indicated that President Brian Casey plans to meet with the Alumni Association’s Board to discuss this situation.
“I was surprised by parts of the speech and disappointed,” said professor and director of the Media Fellows program, Jonathan Nichols-Pethick, who was present at the convocation. “I understand why a lot of people were upset by it."
“My intentions were not to offend anyone,” Phelan said in a phone interview with The DePauw, “I have listened to the feedback and have taken it to heart.”
“It was definitely memorable,” said first-year Kyle Kopchak.
Phelan’s speech was followed by a passionate speech from student body president Craig Carter.
The graduate class of 2015 selected professor of English Joseph Heithaus to give the faculty convocation speech to the freshman class.
Heithaus chose to center his speech on a poem by the Syrian poet Adonis, who will be visiting DePauw on September 30. The poem, “The Beginning of Speech”, was spoken in Arabic by English professor Andrea Sununu.
“It was serendipity,” Heithaus said of the irony of the situation, with the poem following Phelan’s Syrian remarks. “Who would have thought that he would make that comment and I would follow,” he said.
Heithaus said that at the conclusion of the convocation several members of the faculty and staff, even some parents, approached him and thanked him for choosing this poem.
“A parent from Jordan came up to me and thanked me for highlighting a great Arabic poet,” he said “That gave me chills.”
Heithaus planned for this speech since he was chosen to speak at graduation last March.
“It felt like the pressure was on all summer,” he said.
In the end, Heithaus agreed that convocation is not about speeches, but DePauw’s newest set of students.
“It’s a celebration of them,” Heithaus said, “of that first-year class.”