Since Brown's earliest days, graduating seniors have been the principal speakers at Commencement
Many a Memorial Day, Barbara Tannenbaum has stood at the back of the crowded Meeting House of the First Baptist Church and tapped her ear or put her hands together and pulled them slowly apart.
She occupies the spot next to the arrangement of fresh flowers, facing the two student orators who look to her for advice on whether they need to speak louder or slower during their Commencement speeches.
For six minutes that day, each orator has the attention of about 1,500 classmates in the church and 9,000 or so parents, friends and alumni on The College Green watching by simulcast. The event culminates weeks of labor over their words and delivery.
"I think it's one of the most difficult speaking engagements," said Tannenbaum, senior lecturer of Theatre, Speech and Dance. "What do you say that is going to be inspiring to that varied an audience?"
But by the time they speak in the church, the orators do not seek her guidance often, said Tannenbaum, who over the past three decades has shared with other faculty members the job of the orators' public speaking coach.
"By then, they're usually fine on their own," she said.
Since Brown's earliest days, graduating seniors have been the principal speakers at Commencement.
At one point, the entire class participated; later two students were selected by academic standing - one male representing Brown and one female representing Pembroke. Now the speech is the basis for a student's selection.
"It is difficult to provide a profile of the ideal orator," reads a letter from
the 10-member committee of faculty and students. "The committee will look for
intelligence and maturity; originality, insight and a capacity for reflection;
an interesting writing style, wit and articulateness."
Nominations for senior orators are solicited in December. Students can nominate
themselves or be nominated by others; more than 100 names are usually
received.
By early February, nominees are asked to submit one-page descriptions about the
topics of their speeches. Once the committee receives the abstracts, the
process becomes name-blind. Each committee member receives a copy and a ranking
sheet.
"We want as much as possible a sense of what they will say," said Bruce
Donovan, associate dean of the college and committee coordinator. "We want an
abstract as though the speech is written, but that is tricky because it hasn't
been."
The committee advises candidates against a speech that is full of campus jargon
or couched in terms of a specific discipline - both which would make it
inaccessible to parts of the audience. It should be as inclusive as possible.
Six to nine finalists are chosen by consensus. One by one they present their
draft speeches to the committee, which narrows the pool to two. The decision is
based on a marriage of style and substance, according to Donovan.
"It's the unique talk, something not garden variety ... well-crafted and put
together," said Donovan. "You can talk about anything, but it is how you say
it."
Once chosen, the orators are assisted in editing their speeches by a writing
fellow on the committee. They are counseled about points to emphasize for
effect and ways to avoid tediousness. They are encouraged to read past orations
on file in the John Hay Library archives.
Stick to the five- to six- minute time limit, they are told, or else you'll
lose the audience and diminish the other orator's speech, said Donovan.
Beyond the speech, the only other qualifying factor to be a senior orator is
that the student must be graduating.
Donovan has been involved in the process of choosing the orators for about a
decade, but he has heard many more speeches over the years. The first, in 1959,
was given by Doris Stern, who would later become Donovan's wife.
"I've heard some wonderful talks," said Donovan. "It's the funny moments I
remember."
Those moments are rehearsed again and again in the final weeks leading to
Commencement.
Sometimes the orators are videotaped, sometimes they opt to present the speech
to a public speaking class, and each year they practice in the church.
Throughout the process, they are advised by the public speaking coach about
factors such as how to deal with outside noise and how to project their voices.
Because the church windows are always open, the chance of sounds interfering
with the delivery is a definite possibility. For brief noises - a passing fire
engine or helicopter - the orators are told to pause. For longer noises, they
are counseled to raise their voices.
And "they have to remember to breathe," said Erin Hurley, a visiting lecturer
of Theatre, Speech and Dance, who is the orators' coach this year. "If you
don't, you get a speech that is not as rich or loud, and the sentences are
rushed."
Joyce Reed, associate dean of the college, typed her speech in large print and
capital letters so that it would be easy to read. Delivered 39 years ago,
Reed's speech is cited as one of those particularly well-received over the
years.
Reed keeps a copy in her office - she remembers clearly the feeling of standing
before her peers. "It meant a great deal for me to address my classmates," said
Reed. "It was a thrilling opportunity."
Above all, said those involved, the chance to address classmates during one of
the most exciting events of their college years is a thrilling opportunity.
"The audience is there to see you succeed," said Hurley.
Tannenbaum agrees. "You can't help but get carried away in the enthusiasm. I
always tell them to start with `Congratulations Class of fill-in-the-blank' and
that gets wild applause."