If you asked students on campus what makes them proud to be Bruins, most of them would probably begin their list with some combination of these reasons: UCLA’s ground-breaking research, amazing athletics and beautiful campus.
With graduation approaching, however, another equally important reason has come to light: UCLA refuses to hand out honorary degrees.
This sounds unimportant at first, but consider a recent controversy that’s been in the news lately.
Washington University gave Phyllis Schlafly, a famed anti-feminist and opposer of gay rights an honorary doctorate degree at its undergraduate commencement ceremony this year.
Schlafly is best known for leading a grassroots movement in the 1970s to stop the Equal Rights Amendment from passing.
The amendment would have guaranteed equality between the sexes ““ something our U.S. Constitution currently does not do.
She revived her reputation as an unreasonable individual in March, when she declared that it’s impossible for married women to be raped by their husbands.
According to CNN, Schlafly said, “When you get married you have consented to sex. … It isn’t rape, it’s a he said-she said where it’s just too easy to lie.”
Schlafly is clearly nostalgic for the good old days, when a wife was her husband’s property and could be freely abused without any pesky government interference.
When Washington University announced it would be awarding the degree to Schlafly, students and faculty protested ““ even creating their own Web site ““ in order to persuade the university to change its mind and were ignored. Except by Schlafly of course, who, according to the Associated Press, declared that the protestors were “a bunch of losers.”
Nothing like a little academic discourse to inspire new graduates as they go out into the world.
Because of the aforementioned history, I was only mildly surprised to learn that half of Washington University’s graduating class ““ CNN estimated thousands of students ““ stood up and turned their backs on Schlafly when she was awarded the degree. Sharing in the students’ outrage, many faculty members left the stage.
Though choosing someone as unhinged as Schlafly to receive an honorary degree is ridiculous, it does serve a useful purpose: Highlighting how much more ridiculous it is for universities to freely pass out degrees to unqualified people in the first place.
What is the purpose of handing out an honorary degree, one that serves no useful purpose beyond looking nice in a frame?
Maybe it’s to taunt students who have spent years of their lives and thousands of dollars to obtain the same piece of paper that people like Bill Cosby, who has received so many faux degrees he must have a dedicated file cabinet, only have to make a quick appearance for.
Whatever the reason, passing academic degrees out like candy to people the current administration happens to be fond of only serves to devalue the piece of paper students have worked so long and hard for.
It also cheapens whatever honor comes along with being the recipient of such a gift.
One of the reasons Washington University did not respond to student and faculty complaints was that they didn’t view receiving an honorary degree as, well, much of an honor.
Washington University’s Mark Wrighton wrote an open letter in which he stated, “I do not endorse her views or opinions,” but decided to give her the degree anyway because Schlafly “had a broad impact on American life” and “sparked widespread debate and controversies.”
In other words, receiving a degree from Washington University doesn’t mean you did anything particularly great or even mildly beneficial for anyone, but that you were noticed for some reason, good or bad.
Under these criteria Washington University should begin bestowing honorary degrees to contestants on American Idol or members of the Taliban.
It was probably for these reasons that in 1972 the University of California Regents voted to prohibit all the UCs from doling out honorary degrees.
UCLA has a medal it uses to honor visiting dignitaries. The UCLA Medal is awarded to individuals who, according to the university’s Web site, “made extraordinary and distinguished contributions … to our society.”
With such well-articulated guidelines, the goal of handing out the medal is clear ““ to support and honor others.
These guidelines make UCLA’s intentions clear when it bestows the medal upon others and keep the university from running the risk of devaluing students’ degrees.
It’s an example that all colleges who choose to give away fake degrees should follow, for the sake of not only avoiding the ire of their students and alumni, but also to preserve the dignity of the real degrees they award.
Tell Strickland how many degrees you have in your collection at kstrickland@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.