Jamie Dimon said he still plans to deliver the 2010 commencement speech to Syracuse University and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students on May 16, according to an article on Bloomberg.com.

Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., answered questions regarding SU students’ protests in a conference call with a group of reporters Wednesday. The call was originally intended for Dimon to report the company’s first-quarter earnings.

“I gather that this was a group of students who made the selection, but I also completely understand that some people may be opposed to it,” Dimon told reporters from Bloomberg during the call. “People should stand up for what they believe in. I applaud that some folks there want to stand up for something different.”

A group of SU students began protesting the choice of Dimon as commencement speaker after the university’s announcement on March 25. The group still plans to protest its concerns on the Quad on Friday and through student petitions, said Ashley Owen, one of the students leading the movement.

‘It’s not like we are trying to silence him and limit his freedom of speech,’ she said. ‘It’s all about time, place and manner. He can express how he feels and speak to the public however he wants, but it still doesn’t remedy the situation at all.’

The protest on the Quad was moved from Wednesday to Friday at 2 p.m. because of conflicts with a Take Back the Night rally, and it will be in the form of a dance party. If the group can’t get the marching band or another group to play music, Owen said, the students will make their own with bins and other objects used as drums.

“All we are really looking for in terms of a band is a beat. It really helps to move the crowd and to motivate,” Owen said.

An online petition against Dimon garnered 925 signatures as of Wednesday night. Since the petition is online, however, there is no way to guarantee that all who signed are members of SU or ESF senior classes. A Facebook group titled “Take Back Commencement” had 871 members as of Wednesday. Some students are also carrying around paper petitions for their classmates to sign, which will be available at the protest Friday.

Chancellor Nancy Cantor sent an e-mail to students Friday to say the university stands behind its choice and to remind students of Dimon’s credentials as a businessman and leader. The university does not have any plans to remove Dimon as the speaker, said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs, in an e-mail.

Cantor and Senior Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Thomas Wolfe have reserved Hendricks Chapel for the afternoon following commencement if the protesting students would like to hold a panel to discuss the issues surrounding Dimon as speaker, Quinn said.

But Fiedler said that decision is not up to her, and she still has to speak with the rest of the students. The goal of not having Dimon speak at all still stands, she said.

The turnout at the Friday protest, which the group plans to hold rain or shine, could affect on Dimon’s decision, she said.

“It really doesn’t change anything, and it shouldn’t,” she said about Dimon’s comments Wednesday. “It’s about time that he made a statement about it.”

 

Published on April 14, 2010 at 12:00 pm