doc_text: A 3-year campaign that has succeeded in getting Northeastern University to award an honorary degree to jailed South African nationalist leader Nelson Mandela has raised objections from some faculty and students.
  Northeastern announced plans to award the degree honoring Mandela on May 13, ending a long effort by students seeking to change a university policy barring honorary degrees for anyone who could not be present at the ceremony.
  The degree is to be accepted by South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who is scheduled to be in Boston for a benefit dinner.
  Law students last September began a campaign of demonstrations and vigils on the campus.
  They hung a banner from the second floor of the law library that said: "Honor Nelson Mandela."
  Before he was imprisoned, said third-year law student Sarah Ottinger, "Nelson Mandela was an ... attorney and an activist who worked against apartheid.
  That's the message we wanted conveyed to students."
  South Africa's white-minority government says it will free Mandela only if he renounces the use of violence by forces seeking political power for blacks in the country.
  Some faculty members and students, including many blacks, have criticized the administration's plan for the event, saying no effort was made to include them.
  "I don't even know what office is sponsoring it," said Keith Motley, dean and director of the African-American Institute, a student group.
  "We got a memo from the administration saying they need six ushers, but that's it."
  "You'd think at least we'd be clued in to what's going on."
  "This started out as something noble, something we've tried to have done for three years," said Ottinger.
  "We are very, very sorry it happened this way.
  It wasn't meant to turn out like this."
  The trustees decided in January that Mandela should get the honorary degree.
  Students set up a committee to contact Mandela's family to get their approval.
  University spokesman Paul Jones said letters were sent to Mandela's wife, Winnie, and his two daughters: Zenani, a student at Boston University, and Makaziwe, a student at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.
  However, Northeastern still has not received approval from the Mandela family, The Boston Globe reported.
summary_text: A campaign at Northeastern University to award an honorary degree to South African nationalist leader Nelson Mandela has been successful.
  It was necessary to change a university policy, which barred honorary degrees for anyone who could not be present at the ceremony.
  Mandela is imprisoned in South Africa and the white-minority government will free him only if he renounces the use of violence by forces seeking political power for blacks.
  South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu will accept the degree for Mandela.
  The only remaining hitch is getting Mandela family approval, which has not yet been received.