Two Speakers Boycott USC Graduation After Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested
A pair of celebrated writers scheduled to speak at a University of Southern California graduation ceremony that was shifted online have announced they will not be attending, accusing the school of gravely mishandling student protests against the war in Gaza that have rocked its campus in recent weeks.
The university called off its “main stage” commencement ceremony on Thursday, citing concerns for the safety of the more than 65,000 people who had been expected to flood campus on May 10. The ceremony’s nixing came less than two weeks after the controversial decision to bar Asna Tabassum, its pro-Palestian valedictorian, from speaking at the event.
Instead, the school announced earlier this week, it would break graduation down into satellite ceremonies for its individual colleges.