A slew of politicos and celebrities have been asked by their
alma maters to come dole out advice to the class of 2013 in the coming
weeks.
[
CHECK OUT: Google Map of the 2013 College Commencement Speakers]
Others aren't alumni, but the choices make sense, such as Apple
co-founder Steve Wozniak, who spoke to a bunch of tech geeks at the
University of California-Berkeley this week, or Kerry Washington, of
Washington-based political thriller "Scandal" fame, who will speak at
George Washington University this weekend.
But some of the other picks have left us scratching our heads. Five
of the odder pairings of commencement speakers and universities:
1. Ed Helms, Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., June 6.
We're not sure what advice the comedic actor from "The Hangover" will have for this tiny liberal arts college, except maybe
this rant, which comes from an episode of "The Office" as his character Andy Bernard:
"When I was in college I used to get wicked hammered. My nickname was
Puke. I would chug a fifth of SoCo, sneak into a frat party, polish off
a few people's empties, some brewskies, some Jell-O shots, do some body
shots off myself, pass out, wake up the next morning, puke, rally, more
SoCo, head to class. Probably would have gotten expelled if I let it
affect my grades, but I aced all my courses. They called me Ace. It was
totally awesome. Got straight B's. They called me Buzz."
2. Michelle Obama, Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky., June 8.
As far as we can tell, FLOTUS has zero ties to the university, to
Richmond, or to the Commonwealth of Kentucky – which Romney carried by a
landslide in the presidential election. The
White House said
the first lady chose EKU because of the support it has shown for
veterans and military families. But at least one campus group, the Young
Americans for Liberty, found reason to ridicule her appearance.
According to the Huffington Post, the group handed out fliers that read:
"Good luck landing your first job. ... Only 47 percent of you will be
able to find a job in your preferred field, so I hope you're still on
good terms with your parents."
3. Erskine Bowles, Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., May 18.
As the former White House chief of staff and one half of the
deficit-reduction panel "Simpson-Bowles," Erskine Bowles is an unlikely
get for the tiny, all-women college in South Carolina. College
spokeswoman Beth Lancaster told Whispers that "Erskine is a big deal for
us." But the politico's mother, Jessamine, attended Converse and Bowles
told the university "My mama would have shot me if I said no."
4. Julie Andrews, the University of Colorado-Boulder, May 8.
Some might have been skeptical that the beloved "Sound of Music" and
"Mary Poppins" star could connect with the university likely best known
for its marijuana usage, but the 77-year-old actress turned out to be
rather feisty. At one point in her speech, she told the graduates to "go
out and kick butt."
5. The Dalai Lama, Tulane University in New Orleans, May 18.
His Holiness will address likely-to-be-inebriated Tulane graduates in
the Superdome (yes, the Dalai Lama in the Superdome), where he will
speak just after attending a conference in the city entitled
"Resilience: Strength Through Compassion and Connection." His visit has
already angered some Chinese students at Tulane, including senior
William Hao Zhe Wang, who
told the Tulane Hullabaloo:
"I've tried really hard to be friends with American students, and I
really enjoy my American friends" but that the choice of Dalai Lama was a
"political s— cake in your face."
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