Speaker Invitation In the Mail

Senior Class President Paymon Rouhanifard said the potential speaker has yet to accept the invitation but said he is fairly certain the person will accept.

Rouhanifard; Rob Albright, senior class vice president; and several senior class marshals reached Sunday refused to reveal anything about the speaker.

Rouhanifard said the invited candidate cannot be revealed to avoid confusion should the person not accept.

Albright said he expects Chancellor James Moeser to announce the identity of the speaker early this semester, though he could not give a more specific time frame.

Rouhanifard said the speaker was chosen from a list of 12 possibilities forwarded to Moeser last spring by the Commencement Speaker Committee.

The committee, which met several times last semester, was composed of Rouhanifard, Albright, Student Body President Jen Daum, Graduate and Professional Student Federation President Branson Page and four faculty members.

The list sent to Moeser included, but was not limited to, some people nominated by this year's senior class in an on-line forum Rouhanifard conducted last spring, the officers said.

Entertainer Bill Cosby received the most votes from seniors, but also receiving support were U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole, former UNC men's basketball coach Dean Smith, poet Maya Angelou, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Rouhanifard and Albright declined to reveal if the invited speaker came from names submitted by the senior class.

Two candidates nominated by members of the speaker committee were included in the list Moeser received.

Rouhanifard said the University sent the invitation at the end of last semester, earlier than speaker invitations have been sent in the past.

"I'm really happy with the time frame," Rouhanifard said, noting that the early invitation will give the potential speaker more time to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Last year, a formal invitation was not sent until November, and the selection of U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., as speaker was not announced until January.

Senior officers said almost everyone would be happy with the invited speaker. "I think students and faculty will be happy if he or she accepts," Rouhanifard said.

Senior marshal Karine Dube said students' voices were heard. "Students had a big say," she said.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.