You know the reasons Jamie Dimon shouldn’t be here. He represents an overreaching corporate influence in our higher education, his circumstances coming here reek of a raw deal and having students listen to a guy they owe money sucks.

 

It seems that the other side of this commencement debate focuses solely on Dimon as a great business man. They laud his godlike powers of salvation during the financial crisis. I don’t agree that he or the financial sector is in any sort of respectable state right now. One just needs to look at his incessant push to smother any real regulation of the financial sector, an undeniably broken part of our economy. Regardless, even if I concede that Dimon is an all right dude, that says nothing about everything else that is filthy about this entire situation.

 

At Syracuse the sentiment is familiar. ‘I don’t feel like anything will change’ or ‘Chancy’s too stubborn to listen to us.’ And that’s the problem. For an investment that’s a meager 1 percent of Chase’s quarterly profit, the university has been bought and paid for. The inescapable push by the university to fundraise has compromised its ability to represent its primary stakeholder, the students. I understand that bringing money to the university is necessary, but usually there is a semblance of neutrality and respect for the sanctity of higher education. If you can’t see this, then you’ve been bought.

 

The solution for the future is simple: A module on MySlice that allows for a one-step voting process similar to Student Association elections (with hopefully better turnout). The marshals compile the short list, and then students pick their top three nominees. A commencement speaker is then chosen by majority from that list.

 

Nancy, you are a hypocrite for what SU stands for. You talk of sustainability but bring Chase’s polluting self here. Your insightful change of corporatizing education further devastates the tenuous relationship the university has with the local community. You champion student rights and our diverse voices, but deny a truly democratic selection process for commencement speaker. Mr. Dimon, know that you’ve tainted your relationship with the university. I will be disrobing when you take the stage because I will not celebrate the university’s business deal. I am happy to say that after being a loyal Chase account holder for four years, I will be closing my three accounts and transferring my business to a community bank. I will also urge my family and friends to do the same.

 

In 1969, more than a thousand students turned their back to the war general and sang peace songs. Now, I may sing songs about financial corruption of our higher education, but I probably couldn’t get the rhymes catchy enough. Besides, I think that I’ll still listen to the man. Columbia had Iranian President Ahmadinejad last semester, which must’ve been a hell of a talk. There is something off about the speaker selection process this year, and this situation is only exacerbated by the industry Dimon represents. And out of utmost devotion to this university, I want to express that I do not respect your actions. My hope is that Jamie Dimon would have the humble foresight to reject this invitation, to show that he and the corporation he embodies actually mean what is said about being a good corporate citizen. At what point does this school start promoting ideas instead of just teaching them?

 

Joonas Niiholm

Senior economics and public relations major