ASU Alumni members are livid with embarrassment over the university’s choice NOT to confer an honorary doctorate on President Barack Obama, and are putting their money where their mouths are – literally. Former students are immediately ceasing monetary donations over the flap, prompting ASU officials to admit “we blew it!”
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One alumnus, Dr. Neil Francis, who now lives in Thailand, said he was so embarrassed he will no longer wear his Arizona State University ball cap, while others expressed their anger in writing:
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“My husband earned his doctorate from ASU and has been making regular financial contributions throughout the years. We are both very upset that ASU is snubbing our President in this way. My husband has emailed the President of ASU to let him know that we will not be making any further financial contributions to the University and eliminate a legacy in our wills. We believe this was a politically motivated action and totally out of line.”
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“This decision has humiliated me personally and embarrassed the State of Arizona and the faculty and students of the university. It is shocking and actually absurd to say that the sitting President of the United States and a man who has authored two best sellers, been President of the Harvard Law Review and has broken a racial barrier that I never believed I would see in my lifetime, is not accomplished enough to receive an Honorary Degree when he speaks at the 2009 commencement. I will not donate to ASU until (President) Michael Crow is gone. I will continue to donate to Arizona Higher Education but will shift my donations to the University of Arizona.”
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An ASU spokesperson now admits “We blew it. We have learned a big lesson, and we are taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future.” Now the university finds itself between a rock and a hard place, with no idea how to wiggle out of this self-imposed mess. Oh, what a tangled web we weave!
[ An ASU spokesperson now admits "We blew it. We have learned a big lesson, and we are taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again in the future."…]If reich-wingers weren't so d*mn dangerous, they'd be HILARIOUS…smh!