As a freshman at Furman University, I have been surrounded by the ongoing debate about President Bush speaking at Furman's graduation ceremony May 31.

As you might know, more than 200 faculty and students (but mostly faculty) have signed a petition titled "(W)e Object" in protest of his coming to commencement, citing reasons such as the Iraq war and the economic deficit as grounds for basing said petition. Rumors that faculty might boycott the graduation have only fanned the flames. Obviously, such a protest has caused no small dissension among and between Furman faculty and students.

Although I am not graduating, I can see the problem many of the Furman seniors have with the faculty objecting the president coming to the campus. It seems to me that graduation should be about the students who are graduating, and I think it is only right that the professors who invested their time and effort into these students should show them respect by coming to graduation and sharing in such an important event in their lives.

I will concede that there are many Americans who disagree with much of what Bush has done during his past two presidential terms, but I hardly think that attending graduation endorses or supports what he has done or his presidency.

Of course the faculty and students do not have to agree with President Bush, but the least they can do is respect the office he represents, and respect the students who have put in the time and money over their four years at Furman.

Will Wright, Evans