US schools adjust graduation program due to student protests

Some universities in the United States are changing plans for this year’s graduation ceremonies. The reason is the student anti-Israel protests that have hit campuses from the eastern US to California in recent weeks. Columbia University in New York, which became the epicenter of the demonstrations, announced today that it is canceling the traditional grand ceremony with graduates, which was supposed to take place on May 15.

Instead of a joint event of thousands of graduates and their guests, students will have to settle for smaller ceremonies for each of the 19 faculties. They will be held outside the main campus in northern Manhattan, US media reports. The university authorities are citing security concerns as reasons for the change, after it had already introduced distance learning and severely restricted access to the campus.

Three weeks ago, a group of students camped out in the central plaza, where the main part of the graduation ceremony was to take place, to protest Israel’s campaign in the Gaza Strip and the school’s economic ties to Israel. Rector Nemat Shafiková sent the police to the students on April 18, which triggered a wave of criticism and protests at other schools.

Pro-Palestinian tent cities have since been established by students at dozens of universities, and in many places these camps have also been cleared by the police, although the protests are largely non-violent. According to The New York Times, over 2,300 people ended up in custody across the US. On some campuses, including Columbia University, protesters resorted to blockades of academic buildings.

Back in April, Los Angeles’ University of Southern California (USC) announced that it was canceling its main graduation ceremony this year due to security measures linked to the protests. Emory University in suburban Atlanta, whose campus police also arrested protesters, said Monday it would hold its graduation ceremony off campus for security reasons. Some schools already held graduations over the weekend, and according to the AP agency, no significant problems appeared.