University of Michigan executive hopes students are 'respectful' of Rick Snyder at commencement ceremony

Protesters are encouraging graduates to turn their backs on the Republican politician — or even to make noise — while he's speaking to protest his policies.

Cynthia Wilbanks, the University of Michigan's vice president for governmental relations

But Cynthia Wilbanks, U-M's vice president for government relations, said she hopes that students show respect to Snyder regardless of their political opinions.

"We have a big slogan on campus right now: 'expect respect,' and I think that is equally appropriate in this setting," Wilbanks told AnnArbor.com.

Snyder knows what it's like to listen to a U-M commencement speaker. He earned his bachelor's, master's and law degrees from U-M by age 23.

But now he's set to get a view from the flip side of the commencement stage — and the sight may not be pretty.

His appearance comes in the midst of a fierce debate over his budget proposals, a new municipal emergency management law and Wednesday's education reform message.

Protesters plan to gather at 8 a.m. at Pioneer High School's football stadium for a 1-hour rally. Afterward, they plan to march across the street to protest outside the stadium.

Amanda Caldwell, chairwoman of the U-M College Democrats, said some students are planning on "making some noise when Snyder speaks."

"We’ve definitely talked about people being disruptive during the speech to send a message to him," she said.

Wilbanks said: "They may show their sentiments in one of several ways, but I would hope they would be respectful not only to their fellow students but their fellow graduates and families who are in the audience. I think our students are generally respectful and that's what I expect."

The university has said it's a tradition to invite the new Michigan governor to deliver the commencement address. Snyder's four immediate predecessors, two Democrats and two Republicans, all spoke at commencement.

"We don't always have commencement speakers who hold a degree from the university, so, even as some have expressed disappointment and anxiety about him speaking, I think his experience and background here could be of interest and certainly point the way to a future where they can also see themselves," Wilbanks said.

She added: "I hope he speaks to the graduates about his own experiences as a student here at the University of Michigan. I hope he speaks to the graduates about the opportunities that lie ahead and his deep desire for graduates to consider remaining in the state of Michigan even as they have really considered all kinds of options. This is a Michigan where he wants them to be productive and contribute in the same way that he's been given an opportunity to contribute and be productive."

Wilbanks said she's "not personally uncomfortable" that Snyder is speaking at U-M even though he has proposed higher education funding cuts ranging of 15 percent to 22 percent. She pointed out that Snyder is continuing a trend of cuts to public universities that his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, also adopted.

"He is the governor of the state of Michigan, and I think we all recognize the enormous challenges that he's facing," Wilbanks said. "Many of us do have an abiding belief that he values education, K-12 through higher education and beyond, and that the state's fiscal house has to be put in order. While one could argue that there may be other ways to bring that fiscal house in order, he has chosen a set of recommendations that he believes will be helpful.

"We are just looking forward to returning to a time when the state can start investing more regularly with more reliability in higher education."

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.