GW Out for Tiger Blood

Colonial Blood?

Charlie Sheen’s given us such pearls of wisdom as “I got tiger blood, man!” and “Most of the time -- and this includes naps -- I’m an F-18, bro!”

Now, some George Washington University students are seeking this enlightenment for their own edification. They've started a (let's hope) tongue-in-cheek effort to land Sheen as GW’s 2012 commencement speaker. They're aiming for 2012 because this year's speaker has already been booked: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The students sent NBC Washington a statement that reads in part:

We are proud citizens of the US of A, pursuing our right to assemble, to protest, and to win. Our reasons for lobbying Chuck to be our commencement speaker are two-and-a-half-fold:

1. He is an unemployed winner. And unless the job market miraculously picks up, we too will be unemployed winners.

2. He gives sage advice: "Look at [my] experiences. Look at what [I] survived. There are some of your lessons, but the real lessons are going to be in the future."

2.5 #tigerblood

The students' Facebook campaign already has more than 1,300 supporters. A website's also popped up, reports the Huffington Post: sheenforgwu.com, featuring a classy black-and-white photo of Sheen with a smoldering cigarette perched between two fingers.

However, if the students do manage to convince the administration to pursue Sheen, they may need some “tiger blood” to lure him away from another school. A handful of other universities also have student groups trying to woo the actor.

Past GW commencement speakers have included George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Sandra Day O'Connor, Warren Earl Burger and Sargent Shriver. Yeah, we can see where Sheen would just fit right in.

The students' statement continued:

To clarify, we are not suggesting that Michelle Obama or Michael Bloomberg, whom we have the utmost respect for, are inadequate speakers. However, after four (or more) years of learning at GWU, it is unreasonable to presume that a speech will change our post-graduation plans.

Why must we suffer through the formulaic commencement speech? Why not hear from a man who has known both the sweet tastes of success and sour bite of failure[?]

His methods of delivery may be somewhat unconventional, but it's precisely that which will grab the attentions of our attention deficient generation. The world is not the same as it was in 1824, at GWU's first commencement ceremony where President Monroe, John C. Calhoun, and Henry Clay were in attendance.

Then, students read newspapers, now we read newsfeeds - admittedly, a sad yet undeniable truth.


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