The University of Southern California (USC) has declared the cancellation of its primary graduation ceremony due to escalating security concerns.
The campus has recently been a hotbed for pro-Palestinian protests, orchestrated largely by the USC Divest from Death Coalition, which has been advocating for the university to sever its financial ties with Israel.
In a communication to students, USC stated, "We understand that this is disappointing; however, we are adding many new activities and celebrations to make this commencement academically meaningful, memorable, and uniquely USC.
The protests intensified following the university's decision to prevent valedictorian Asna Tabassum from delivering her graduation speech, citing potential security risks. Tabassum, a vocal supporter of Palestinians in Gaza, believes her political stance to be the reason behind the university's decision.
According to The Associated Press, the cancellation of USC's main stage graduation ceremony on Thursday comes amidst growing concerns among U.S. college officials that ongoing campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war could disrupt May commencement ceremonies.
While some universities have resorted to police intervention to disperse the demonstrations, leading to violent clashes and numerous arrests, others have chosen to wait out the student protests as the semester draws to a close.
USC announced the cancellation of the May 10 ceremony a day after over 90 protesters were arrested on campus. Despite this, the university maintains that it will still host various commencement events, including all traditional individual school commencement ceremonies where students receive their diplomas.
The atmosphere on campus was already tense following the university's decision to cancel a planned commencement speech by the schools pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing safety concerns. The announcement of the graduation ceremony's cancellation came just a day after over 90 protesters were arrested.
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