Snooki – $32,000. v. Toni Morrison – $30,000.

Dear Commons Community,

I was watching the local nightly news on Channel 7 (ABC) a little while ago and the newscaster reported that Snooki Pollizzi (yes that Jersey Shore Snooki) was paid $32,000. for a speaking engagement at Rutgers University.  Well good for her.  But then the newscaster also reported that Nobel Prize winner, Toni Morrision, will be paid $30,000. for being the commencement speaker at Rutgers.  I thought I misheard what he said so after dinner I googled “Snooki $32,000. Rutgers”.  There were 9,600 hits and sure enough I heard the newscaster correctly.   I guess I am getting old but Rutgers is one of our well-respected universities and I would think that there would be some sense of balance as to what Snooki and Toni Morrison are worth at an institution of higher learning.   Snooki’s advice to the  Rutgers students: “Study hard, but party harder.”

If you do not believe me, you can read a brief article on this at people.com.

Tony