As families and friends entered Hill Auditorium they were handed a pamphlet explaining how this year's Senior Day ceremony would be a little bit different than normal. The pamphlet explained the students' plans to walk out during Senator Rob Portman's commencement address. Portman, a 1984 alum of the law school, was a six-term congressman before being tapped by President George W. Bush in 2005 to serve as the U.S. Trade Representative and, later, director of the Office of Management and the Budget, both cabinet-level positions. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2010.