Following several days of protest against the University of Southern California’s choice to prevent Muslim valedictorian Asna Tabassum from speaking at the school’s May 10 graduation, the university also decided on Friday to cancel external commencement speakers.
A memo that was shared by USC stated, “to keep the attention on our graduates, we are altering the commencement program. Given the widely publicized circumstances surrounding our main-stage commencement program, university leadership has decided it is best to release our outside speakers and honorees from attending this year’s ceremony.”
On Monday, USC provost Andrew Guzman said in an online letter that “the discussion regarding the selection of our valedictorian has taken on a worrisome tone,” including speculation from those against Tabassum, who also supports Palestine, that her speech would be “antisemitic.”
Guzman added that the input of “many voices outside of USC” about the issue were creating “significant risks regarding security and disruption at commencement.”
By Wednesday, a petition by the Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) to reverse USC’s decision to cancel the valedictorian’s graduation speech had been signed by more than 41,000 people.
CAIR-LA executive director Hussam Ayloush called USC’s decision “cowardly” and said, “We call on the school to take a stand against anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate and create a safe environment on its campus — not just for Asna, but for all its students.”
The university’s statement on Friday also mentioned that, despite canceling plans to award honorary degrees at graduation this year, it “hope[s] to confer these honorary degrees at a future commencement or other academic ceremonies.”
The university emphasized, “It is important that our full attention be on our outstanding graduates. We will be celebrating their achievements in a manner that reflects the unity we cherish so much about our Trojan Family.”
Despite the reference to “releas[ing] outside speakers” in the memo, it also mentions that the ceremony will feature “other internal and external speakers and performers.” Additional announcements about graduation are scheduled for next week.
