Graduation weekend was peppered with protests as students at various universities took a stand on issues close to their hearts. At UC Berkeley, a group demanding the university divest from companies with ties to Israel made their point loudly, with some in attendance standing up mid-ceremony, signs in hand, as reported by WABE. The University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, also saw demonstrations, with the latter campus witnessing a red paint splatter across the steps of a campus building.
The reactions from various universities have ranged; while Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania faced criticism for bringing in law enforcement to clear protest encampments, schools like Northwestern and Brown are engaging in dialogue, considering student's demands. Johns Hopkins University has just struck an agreement with demonstrators for a review of their divestment demands.
Ceremony attendees at UC Berkeley listened as student body president Sydney Roberts's speech was punctuated by pro-Palestinian chants. "This wouldn’t be Berkeley without a protest,” she remarked, making light of the interruption. Chancellor Carol Christ also acknowledged the tension, expressing that she was "deeply troubled by the terrible tragedy" in Gaza. Israel's ongoing military offensive continues to be a sharp point of conflict, resulting in over 34,000 Palestinian fatalities, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. On the flip side, there has been rising concern over the surge in antisemitism accusations on campus post the October 7 attack. Berkeley deals with not one, but two federal investigations into such charges, detailed by WABE.
It wasn't all about international issues, though. Back in Virginia, VCU's graduation was marked by a walkout. Graduates silently protested against commencement speaker and Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who they accuse of stifling anti-racist educators and dismantling protections for transgender youths. The university's NAACP chapter previously urged the school to rethink Youngkin's invitation, a move that was overlooked in favor of proceeding as planned.
All this comes just one week before President Joe Biden is set to address the graduates of Morehouse College, a speech that's already drawing pre-emptive backlash from those critical of his position on Gaza and his remarks on the purported 'violent' tactics of student protesters. How the president navigates this fraught atmosphere, at a college steeped in a history of mediating societal tensions, remains to be seen. “The nation needs somewhere that can visualize for us the ability to hold the tensions," Morehouse College President David A. Thomas told WABE, emphasizing the college's legacy in aiding such crucial discourse.
