The University of Southern California announced Thursday it won’t hold its traditional campus-wide graduation that typically attracts 65,000 people to campus.
The Daily Beast reports the sudden change comes after the controversial decision to remove South Asian American Muslim student Asna Tabassum as the Valedictorian speaker.
The campus cited security concerns this month after some alleged Tabassum has expressed antisemitic views which she denies.
That decision led to protests and the cancellation of all commencement speeches, including one planned by Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu.
Just Wednesday, April 24, police shut down USC to all outsiders and arrested at least 93 pro-Palestinian protestors.
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“With the new safety measures in place this year, the time needed to process the large number of guests coming to campus will increase substantially,” the school announced, according to CBS News. “As a result, we will not be able to host the main stage ceremony that traditionally brings 65,000 students, families, and friends to our campus all at the same time and during a short window from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.”
Over 50 campus organizations had signed a letter of support for Tabassum.
“I’m just as committed to the lives of Jews as I am to Muslims or to Christians, or to any other sort of identity,” she said.
USC promised it would announce it would find something “meaningful, memorable, and uniquely USC” to replace graduation by April 30
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