Snooki and Toni Morrison: Its All Relative

posted in College Life | Apr 10, 2011 | 15206 views

'Jersey Shore' star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, left, and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, right.

There has been a lot of media hoopla concerning how much Rutgers is paying public figures to visit and speak at the university. It all started in late March, when a Star-Ledger article ran with the headline Rutgers University to pay author Toni Morrison $30K to speak at commencement. That same day, The New York Times covered Morrisons lofty price tag as well, and the rest of the media minions soon followed.

Some complained that in a fledgling economy particularly for higher education Rutgers should have considered someone less expensive. In Rutgers defense, this commencement is an historic one the first in Rutgers Stadium since the School of Arts & Sciences consolidation in 2007. As President Richard McCormick told the Ledger, We felt it important to have a genuine headliner, a world-class speaker, particularly this first year.” Unfortunately, the controversy did not stop...read more