Vice President of Student Affairs Susan Davis and University Provost Kathleen Hagerty announced plans to prevent and respond to potential disruptions during Graduation Weekend activities in a Tuesday afternoon message to the Northwestern community.
The announcement comes as several other universities have seen disruptions including walkouts and chants from pro-Palestinian activists at their commencement ceremonies, with some universities — including Columbia University and the University of Southern California — preemptively canceling their all-school ceremonies.
“We have been saddened to see similar celebrations disrupted and even canceled at other universities this spring, and Northwestern is committed to avoiding this path,” Davis and Hagerty wrote in the email. “A robust security and operations plan is in place to ensure the focus remains on graduates throughout Graduation Weekend activities.”
Commencement will be held at the United Center in Chicago on June 9 due to the ongoing construction at Ryan Field, where the ceremony is usually hosted.
According to the message, artificial noisemakers, banners, flags, flyers and other items — including “anything else that would interfere with another guest’s ability to see, hear and enjoy the ceremony” — will be prohibited at commencement and convocation ceremonies.
Davis and Hagerty specified that community members who disrupt graduation ceremonies could be asked to leave and that those who violate University policies could face “disciplinary sanctions up to and including expulsion.” If students are suspected of violating the Student Code of Conduct, the University will hold their degrees pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings, according to the email.
Universities including Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Chicago have faced harsh criticism in recent weeks for denying or withholding diplomas from several students who engaged in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on their respective campuses.
“While the University supports freedom of expression, graduation ceremonies are not the time nor place for disruptive demonstrations,” the message reads. “The University has designated a free speech area outside each venue and encourages anyone who wishes to engage in expressive activity to do so there. Any such activity inside the venue may not disrupt the ceremony or prevent others from enjoying it.”
The message also comes at a particularly fraught time for the administration, with University President Michael Schill facing growing pressure from various critics after testifying about his response to the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow before Congress less than two weeks ago.
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