The unofficial conservative community at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business released a letter calling for the school to welcome a successful businessman heavily involved in financing political campaigns to speak at their graduation ceremony—just not the one the school picked out.
Stanford’s GSB is planning to celebrate the MBA Class of 2015 by having climate activist Tom Steyer address the graduates this spring. The group of conservatives, Students for a Deregulated Society (SDS), did not write the letter to protest the overwhelmingly partisan speaker selection, however.
"Unlike most campus political activists today, we plan no walk-outs, boycotts, or divestitures in response to a speaker with whom we disagree," the letter said.
Instead, the group asked for the faculty to welcome another billionaire to balance the slate of speakers for their big day next year.
"We ask only that the non-partisan administration of the GSB invite a similarly successful businessman—one with a track record of civic engagement and philanthropy that meets or exceeds Mr. Steyer’s—to speak next year. We suggest Charles Koch, whose political views and priorities would balance this year’s selection of Mr. Steyer. We believe Charles Koch’s selection would be met with applause from the open-minded and politically diverse faculty and administration here at Stanford," SDS said.
The group assured the members of Stanford’s administration that they were not bothered by the impression that their own political beliefs may have played a role in their decision to invite Steyer to speak.
"We detect not even the merest hint of bias or hypocrisy in the administration’s selection of Mr. Steyer as this year’s graduation speaker," the letter said.
The sarcastic letter celebrated Steyer’s role in the capitalist American economy SDS cherishes. Citing his management of a successful hedge fund, the student group praised Steyer’s work to create an investment vehicle to help the one percent avoid the legal burdens and restrictions placed on the 99 percent.
Steyer was the biggest political contributor in the 2014 election cycle, surpassing the Koch brothers "by a ratio of 14 to 1." In their letter, SDS noted Steyer’s efforts to influence the midterm elections by investing $74 million to Democratic candidates failed.
The letter concluded by congratulating the school for its commencement selection.
"But while Mr. Steyer’s vision may not be fully appreciated outside of these ivory towers, no one better reflects the philosophy, culture, and worldview of the GSB administration than this billionaire political contributor (and Stanford mega-donor)," SDS said.
Note: The Washington Free Beacon actively tried to draft Tom Steyer to run for California’s open senate seat in 2016. Unfortunately, it was unable to convince him to run.