The University of Southern California (USC) is struggling to appease graduating parents and students as its keynote speaker withdraws from protests on campus, according to The New York Times.
The university canceled its main graduation ceremony in April after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the campus, opting for smaller, individual ceremonies at each university. The university has 23 small graduation ceremonies planned, but several speakers have already informed the school that they do not plan to attend, leading students and parents to call the situation a “joke”. “It’s inconsistent and confusing,” he complained. according to To the New York Times. (Related: Union leaders plan to sue Colombia after workers taken ‘hostage’ by anti-Israel protesters)
“Some of my friends say they’re just going to boo the administration,” Ella Blaine, a senior at the University of Southern California, told the Times.
“This is just a train wreck,” Blaine’s mother, Annette Ricciazzi, who previously attended and worked at the university, told the New York Times. “Many parents are disgusted and up in arms.”
The University Park campus is currently open to students, faculty, staff, registered guests, and known vendors who have confirmed their work.
— USC (@USC) May 6, 2024
The University of Southern California School of Drama was scheduled to have Liza Colon-Zayas, who plays Tina on the FX series “The Bear,” as its keynote speaker, but the actor announced Monday that she is “no longer available.”
Jalen Lewison, another actor from the Netflix series “Never Have I Ever,” is also considering withdrawing from the graduation ceremony at the University of Southern California’s Dornseiff College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, a representative told the NYT. It is being Anonymous. Upon graduating from the USC School of Engineering, several speakers were also removed from his university website.
According to the NYT, visitors will be required to provide digital credentials to access the campus. All bags will be searched by security personnel and any items that may be used in protests will be confiscated.
Columbia University also canceled Monday’s graduation ceremony, citing continued protests and safety concerns. Instead, students will be able to attend “school days and school-level ceremonies.”
Protesters disrupted the event by holding flags and chanting during the University of Michigan ceremony. Some participants appeared angry and told the protesters to “shut up.”
USC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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