Commence the firestorms

Since Rutgers chemistry professor Robert Boikess successfully urged faculty last month to oppose Condoleezza Rice as commencement speaker for her role in the Iraq war, he has been called "racist," "liberal" – and worse. The selection of the former secretary of state has set off nothing short of a firestorm on campus with Boikess and his colleagues planning a "teach-in," launching a website to build opposition, and filing a flurry of public records requests aimed at uncovering how Rice was invited…"It’s a polarizing, divisive issue," said Ann Gould, a professor in the plant biology and pathology department. She chairs the university senate, which has commissioned a study in the wake of the controversy on how Rutgers selects its speaker.