President Obama is scheduled to address the commencement ceremony of Barnard College, an all-female liberal arts school affiliated with Columbia University, the president’s alma mater. But soon after Obama’s address was announced, the rift between Barnard and Columbia was exposed, as internet commenters sparked a controversy over the fact that Obama chose Barnard over the larger university.
“To sum up: Either Barnard College is academically inferior to Columbia, or those who say so are misguided or misogynist; either Mr. Obama has snubbed Columbia, or this is great news and everyone in Morningside Heights should revel in it,” the New York Times reported on the hundreds of comments posted by students on articles posted on the Columbia Spectator and student-run blog Bwog.
The Times also pointed out the the choice of an all-women college made sense politically, given the president’s electoral challenges and reliance on strong support from women. On the way to the speech, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, “He looks forward to speaking to the young people there today about the challenges they face, that we face as a nation, what we can do working together to overcome those challenges and specifically what young women face, the challenges they face, and observations he’ll make about how they can help shape the future that awaits them,” per a pool report.
