Keep Sheriff at Commencement

Harvard has always been a stickler for tradition, and few events at Harvard are more laden with tradition than Commencement. This year, Harvard's longtime practice of having the Middlesex Country Sheriffs open and close Commencement exercises receives an interesting twist.

This year, the sheriff slated to open the ceremonies is under indictment for a medley of not -so-savory criminal charges.

Sheriff John P. McGonigle has been opening and closing Commencement ceremonies for almost 10 year now without a hitch. Two weeks ago, McGonigle was indicted on charges including extortion, racketeering and filing false tax returns. McGonigle pleaded not guilty to the charges in the U.S. District Court.

McGonigle's indictment has prompted a fight with Governor William F. Weld '66, who has suspended him. McGonigle is now fighting the ruling in court on the grounds that he is an elected official, and other have jumped to the beleaguered sheriff's defense.

That McGonigle will be opening and closing the exercises has, to say the least, a certain irony to it. The original reason the sheriff opened the ceremonies, as explained by Pope Professor Emeritus Mason Hammond '25, was "to keep order."

It is regrettable that the cloud of McGonigle's indictment many hang over the crowning event of this year's seniors' college careers. It is unfortunate that the person charged with opening and closing Commencement is also charged with several types of criminal conduct.

But we agree with the University's decision to keep McGonigle as a key ceremonial figure at the event for several reasons.

The first reason relates to why McGonigle has been chosen for this task. As University Marshall Richard M. Hunt states, "It's the office he [McGonigle] holds [that leads Harvard to invite him], not because he's John McGonigle."

In other words, McGonigle will be opening the event not because of any of his particular personal qualities, but simply as a matter of tradition, because he still is Middlesex County Sheriff. This is unlikely to change before Commencement, since McGonigle's trial is scheduled for July 25, over a month after the event.

In addition, as McGonigle himself pointed out, he has not yet been put on trial and he has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing. As McGonigle observes, "In this country, a person is innocent until proven guilty."

For now, the best course for Harvard to take is to take no course of action at all, to keep McGonigle on as Commencement emcee. In the meantime, Harvard seniors should sit back, relax and enjoy the irony.