He made us laugh and made multicolored sweaters cool. He donated to universities and loaned his art collection to the Smithsonian. Bill Cosby is a legend to us for many reasons.
Some celebrate him for overcoming television’s racial barriers: his role on the “I Spy” TV series made him the first African-American to co-star in a drama series, winning three Emmy awards for his performance.
Some celebrate him for his comedic talent, from his Grammy-winning comedy albums to his book “Fatherhood,” which provided an entertaining take on raising children.
Some celebrate him for his work with educational causes through the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation that helped provide more than 1.3 million books to 13,000 underserved classroom libraries across the country.
But now, William Henry Cosby Jr. has been accused of multiple counts of sexual assault. In wake of these news, universities across the country are grappling with how to handle the honors they have bestowed upon such a controversial figure.
Specifically, Cosby has dozens of honorary degrees and honorary class memberships awarded to him for his commitment to education and his fame as an entertainer. Princeton is among them, awarding him an honorary membership to the Class of 2001 when he came to the University as Class Day speaker.
Universities hold special positions to speak out against injustice, as institutions with an ethos of promoting a better world through education. Divestment campaigns, for this reason, are continuously brought forth to university administrations.
Is it the job of a university to take a stand? In my opinion, absolutely.
First, the actions a university takes reflect its values. So far, over46 women have publicly come forward with accusations of sexual assault from Cosby, with 35 of them sharing their stories through a New York magazine piece that came out this summer. Some argue that women who accuse men as famous as Cosby of sexual assault are seeking money or notoriety, but this is a ludicrous suggestion. Who would ever willingly chance such public shaming for a lie? This insinuation is an insult to the bravery of these women and to the silence of those who cannot or choose not to speak up. If the value of a university is gender equality and a culture of safety, a university must revoke an honor to someone who has continuously, deliberately and viciously violated this.
Second, universities must uphold integrity for their degrees. Honorary degrees and class memberships are awarded to those who are exemplary in their dedication to public service, often specifically to education. An honorary degree and a class membership is both a symbol and a stance. By giving Cosby an honorary degree, a university celebrates him in a specific, special way. By giving Cosby honorary class membership, we are welcoming him into our community.
So far, Tufts University, Goucher College, Lehigh University, Fordham University, Marquette University, Baylor and Wilkes University, the University of San Francisco and Brown University have revoked his honorary degrees. Although he has not been convicted ofa crime, he resigned from the Temple University Board of Trustees.
President of Brown Christina Paxson said in a statement about the revocation that: “It has become clear by his own admission in legal depositions that became public this summer that Mr. Cosby has engaged in conduct with women that is contrary to the values of Brown and the qualities for which he was honored by the University in 1985.”
What will Princeton do with Cosby’s honorary class membership? At a university where inappropriate sexual behavior has affected an alarmingly high 1 in 3 women according to the recent WeSpeak survey, it is my hope that it is seen as the right thing to do for Princeton to take a public stance.
Azza Cohen is a history major fromHighland Park, Ill. She can be reached at accohen@princeton.edu.
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