In the first months of 1973, American troops were finally completing their long-awaited departure from Vietnam, but White House officials remained in the shadow of the Watergate scandal.

When President Richard M. Nixon refused an invitation to speak at commencement the week of April 13, few were disappointed, according to THE HOYA.

“President Richard M. Nixon has turned down an invitation to address the Georgetown University commencement in May,” THE HOYA reported on April 13, 1973. “The [invitation] provoked angry students’ protests when it was announced. Student leaders threatened to stage a senior walkout from the graduation ceremonies if Nixon attended the exercises.”

The student body complained about their exclusion from the speaker selection process, after the student representative to the selection committee did not receive an invitation, supposedly mailed during winter break, to attend a final selection meeting.

At that meeting, administrators voted to invite Nixon to the commencement.

The university administration defended its decision to invite Nixon, according to the article, because “it was traditional to invite U.S. presidents to speak at Georgetown during their term of office.”

Instead, Georgetown turned to the Most Rev. William Baum, Archbishop-elect of Washington, to be principal speaker at the ceremonies.