Few West Coast universities can match the University of Southern California's glitzy commencement ceremonies. The flag flies. A trumpet sounds. Tens of thousands of relatives from around the world filled the Los Angeles campus to cheer on the new graduates. A catered luncheon is held under the chandeliers and features a very important speaker. Last year, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige took to the stage to the theme song of “The Avengers” to give a commencement speech.
But this week, weeks of campus protests and controversy put the extravaganza to the test. The Class of 2024 will not have a grand main-stage commencement ceremony, nor will Hollywood executives impart their wisdom to graduates across the university.
Smaller celebrations will be held across the university's 23 schools and departments, but at least two keynote speakers have publicly declined to attend the School of Education's commencement ceremony, while others have quietly withdrawn at the last minute. did.
The School of Dramatic Arts confirmed Monday that Liza Colon-Zayas, who plays Tina on the FX series “The Bear,” “can no longer join us.” Jalen Lewison, actor from the Netflix series “Never Have I Ever,” will address thousands of graduates at two large graduation ceremonies at the Dornseifu College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, according to a representative who spoke on condition of anonymity. He says he is reconsidering his decision. Early this week. Two of the three speakers at the School of Engineering's ceremony have suddenly disappeared from the school's graduation website.
The lush campus is covered with rows of folding chairs, as if it were a mass wedding at this time of year, but unauthorized visitors are barred from entering behind a TSA-like checkpoint system. prohibited. Movements are tightly controlled at the start. Families of graduates will need special digital tickets to travel between venues. Bags will be searched and banners, beach umbrellas, selfie sticks and other equipment that could be reused for political protests will be confiscated.
The hastily arranged party at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will have the usual grand atmosphere, but it's unclear how many of the 18,000 graduates and their families will attend the weeknight event.
“Some of my friends say they're just going to boo the administration,” said Ella Blaine, 23. She blamed university executives for ruining the drama department's graduation. Blaine, a self-proclaimed “fourth generation Trojan” from Pasadena, has spent much of her life imagining her own University of Southern California graduation, but she doesn't think this year's graduation will be “It was a joke,” she said.
As student protests over Israel's war in Gaza clash with graduation ceremonies across the country, universities are scrambling to preserve some of their time-honored rites of passage. In this time of global conflict, that aspiration is proving to be a tall order. It does not infringe on free speech, stifle jubilation, or enable unjust protests, but in some way, crowds of young people in caps and gowns and thousands of their loved ones. The goal is to realize a ceremony that honors them.
For some schools, the challenge is daunting. Last weekend, protesters disrupted ceremonies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Indiana University in Bloomington, and Northeastern University in Boston.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has declined to be the University of Vermont's commencement speaker after coming under pressure from student groups opposed to the Biden administration's support for Israel. Arizona's public universities beefed up security and barricaded the field ahead of this week's ceremony. On Monday, Columbia University canceled its major graduation ceremonies, leaving only small, individual school events.
At the University of Southern California, where graduation ceremonies are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, university leaders are pushing back on the school's famous graduation amid a backlash against a series of moves aimed at thwarting, paradoxically, potential conflict and unrest. We are working hard to hold the ceremony together.
In mid-April, the University of Southern California canceled a lecture by valedictorian Asna Tabassum after pro-Israel groups complained that her social media profile had pro-Palestinian connections. Four days later, the university announced it was “redesigning its commencement ceremony” and canceled the keynote address by alumnus and director of “Crazy Rich Asians'' John M. Chu.
“I got a call at work from the president of the University of Southern California,” said Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, who was to receive an honorary degree. “They just said that given all the disruption they thought it would be best to postpone the award of the honorary degree, and I said that I completely agreed.”
This decision further escalated the uproar. A few days later, pro-Palestinian students attempted to set up an encampment on campus, and university officials called the Los Angeles Police Department. In the ensuing demonstrations, 93 people were arrested, more than a third of whom were not affiliated with the campus. The university announced the next day that it was canceling major graduation ceremonies altogether.
Since then, USC has struggled to manage the fallout.
Blaine's mother, Annette Ricciazzi, 52, a University of Southern California alumnus and former university employee, cited university leadership's “inconsistent and confusing” response to cancellations and protests. This is just a train wreck.” She said: “Many parents are disgusted and up in arms.”
In a message to the campus, President Carol Folt emphasized respect for free speech and the university's responsibility to protect students. The envoy alternately announced that protesters would be subject to disciplinary action and that plans for some 47 satellite graduation ceremonies were “in full swing.”
And normalcy prevails in parts of the 47,000-student campus.
Actor Sean Penn, known for his progressive stance on international issues, is represented by a group of pharmacy school graduates who are working with Community Organization Relief, a nonprofit he co-founded, to combat the spread of the coronavirus. He confirmed that he is making good progress with his speech. -19 vaccinations at Dodger Stadium during pandemic.
California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, one of the state's best-known liberal jurists, remained committed to delivering the keynote address at the law school, spokeswoman Merrill Barathon said.
Phil Chan, co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface, an organization that promotes the elimination of degrading portrayals of Asians in ballet, said he will continue to work with dance schools to spread messages of inclusion. Told.
Still, he admitted, “It's a very uncomfortable position.”
In contrast, author C. Pam Chan and MacArthur Fellow Safiya Umoja Noble have argued that Tabassum invited police to campus, arrested dozens of protesters; The decision to censor Mr.
At the College of Engineering, where Ms. Tabassum will graduate as valedictorian, professors have been trying to revive her speaking opportunities.
By resolution of the Faculty of Engineering Executive Committee, she was asked to speak at the commencement ceremony. The school's dean, Yannis C. Yortzos, did not respond to questions about whether the request would be approved.
And a petition signed by 400 professors and scheduled to be debated by the Faculty Senate on Wednesday demands that the university apologize to Mr. Tabassum, and also demands that both Dr. Folt and the university president be held accountable. There is.
Adding to the situation, the School of Engineering's website lists two previously announced commencement speakers: Kevin Crawford, chief scientist at ride-hailing company Didi Global;・Mr. Knight and Microsoft executive Zore Kademi are not listed. A spokesperson for the school did not respond to questions about whether Kademi and Knight had been expelled, and neither was available for comment.
The University Committee selected Tabassum, who is Muslim and of South Asian descent, from among about 100 undergraduate students with nearly 4.0 grade point averages. Her selection as her commencement speaker sparked fierce backlash from several pro-Israel groups. She spoke out against pro-Palestinian sites that she linked to on her social media accounts.
Citing threats of “disruption,” the university canceled the valedictorian's speech, a campus tradition.
Tabassum, who grew up in suburban San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, said in a statement that he was “deeply disappointed” and questioned the school's motives. She is now facing harassment. Accuracy in Media, an organization known for exposing students' personal information, has launched a web page calling USC a “leader of anti-Semitism.”
Engineering professor Hossein Hashemi said Tabassum, who aspires to be a doctor, is widely respected by the faculty. “At this point, I think she probably wishes she hadn't even been elected valedictorian,” said Dr. Hashemi, who is leading the campaign on her behalf.
Not all the glamor is lost. The school's last-minute party Thursday night will include the Trojan Marching Band, fireworks and a drone show.
“I'm not going to lie, it looks like a cool event,” said Dustin Jeffords, 37, who is pursuing a master's degree in communications management. He, his wife, his parents, his in-laws and two brothers will be in attendance.
Still, as a latecomer to college after completing his military service, he said he was especially excited about the University of Southern California's lavish graduation ceremony, which had added value given the sacrifices he had made.
“These convocation ceremonies are wonderful, but the large-scale convocation ceremony with its pomp and atmosphere is very important, and I was looking forward to it,” he said. “It's unfortunate that the finish line disappears right before our eyes.”