Apparently poet and NEA head Dana Gioia wasn’t name brand enough for the commencement of Stanford. Or so said the students back in January, citing the need for someone more politically oriented and with more name recognition. I mean, how are these poor, underpriviledged kids supposed to get a job with such a ghetto commencement address?

The surprise choice of Dana Gioia as Commencement speaker on Monday had students scratching their heads and searching Wikipedia for more information about the poet and chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. As University and student leaders praised the Bush appointee, immediate reaction from the senior class was mixed.

“The fact that a lot of us don’t know who he is,” said senior Susan Rodriguez, “is not a good sign.”

I wonder how they feel now that he’s delivered his speech? I’d love a followup to this.