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USC Calls Off Main Graduation Ceremony

Los Angeles campus points to new safety measures
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 25, 2024 6:15 PM CDT
USC Calls Off Main Graduation Ceremony
A new graduate poses Thursday in front of USC's mascot on campus in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The University of Southern California, which was embroiled in disputes with pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel activists before protests over Middle East policy intensified this week on college campuses across the US, has canceled its main graduation ceremony. The school said newly enacted safety measures make hosting 65,000 people at once too difficult logistically, the Los Angeles Times reports. "We understand that this is disappointing; however, we are adding many new activities and celebrations to make this commencement academically meaningful, memorable, and uniquely USC," a school statement said.

About two dozen smaller graduations at various schools and departments will go on, just not the main stage ceremony. USC canceled its valedictorian's speech last week after pro-Israeli groups criticized her pro-Palestinian views. More than 90 protesters were arrested on campus Wednesday, per the AP. Actor Sean Penn is still scheduled on May 11 to address graduates of the Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, per the Times. "This is a rather unusual commencement, to put it in obvious terms," said Donal Manahan, who has been the USC marshal for the main stage graduation since 2016. "It's the whole country going through it." (More USC stories.)

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