The University of Southern California canceled all speakers scheduled to speak at the commencement ceremony amid controversy.
On April 15, the prestigious private university announced its decision to ban its valedictorian from speaking at this year’s graduation on May 10.
Asna Tabassum, 21, was banned for openly expressing her support for Palestinians, which has led to her being labeled an anti-Semite.
The decision was met with fury on campus: Her fellow students accused the university of censorship and 130 professors signed a letter demanding to hear her speak at graduation.
In another shocking announcement, USC announced that all speakers scheduled to speak at the commencement ceremony had been cancelled.
The University of Southern California canceled all speakers scheduled to speak at the commencement ceremony amid controversy.
Asna Tabassum, 21, was banned for openly expressing her support for Palestinians, leading to her being labeled an anti-Semite.
In another shocking announcement, USC announced that all speakers scheduled to speak at the commencement ceremony had been cancelled. Keynote speakers included Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who was expected at the ceremony on the main stage, as well as tennis star Billie Jean King.
Keynote speakers included Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who was expected at the ceremony on the main stage, as well as tennis star Billie Jean King.
USC issued a statement saying its leadership had decided that “it is best to exempt outside speakers and honorees from attending this year’s ceremony.”
The university said it was “redesigning” the ceremony to ensure the focus remains on the graduates, and said the decision was made after considering the “highly publicized circumstances” that arose following Tabassum’s ban.
Tabassum’s ban was due to security concerns after his pro-Palestine views led to accusations of anti-Semitism.
Fellow students protested the decision and during a march on Thursday, students held signs with photographs of Tabassum, 21, that read “let Asna speak.”
Tabassum, who specializes in biomedical engineering with a specialization lower in resistance to genocide, would have addressed 65,000 people at the ceremony. USC officials chose her from nearly 100 student applicants who had a GPA of 3.98 or higher.
The valedictorian has since come out to say that she is not anti-Semitic and refuses to back down: “I stand by exactly what I stand by.”
Thursday’s march across campus followed a series of calls for his speech to be reinstated.
The decision to ban Tabassum has been met with fury on campus: Her fellow students accused the university of censorship and 130 professors signed a letter demanding to hear her speak at her graduation.
The university said it was “redesigning” the ceremony to ensure the focus remains on the graduates, and said the decision was made after considering the “highly publicized circumstances” that arose following Tabassum’s ban.
Now, 130 teachers have signed a letter asking to be allowed to speak.
The letter signed by faculty said canceling his speech “stifles open communication,” while dozens of student groups signed a separate letter saying they were “outraged and embarrassed” by the decision.
The scandal began after pro-Israel groups criticized Tabassum’s choice as valedictorian, accusing her of anti-Semitism after it emerged that the 21-year-old had made posts questioning the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
A link in his Instagram bio led to a third-party page that said “Zionism is a racist colonialist ideology.”
The university then removed Tabassum, who is Muslim, from its graduation ceremony, stating that “tradition must give way to security.”
After being banned from the talk, Tabassum told ABC7 that he stands by his views, saying, “I stand exactly what I stand.”
“I don’t think it’s ironic for me to belittle something called genocide resistance, and then talk about it and then get revoked because I’m penalized for something that people have a problem with.”
Following the outrage, the university hinted this week that they would cancel valedictory addresses by just one person in the future.
An Instagram account, We Are Tov, spends time checking Tabassum links
Tabassum also said he did not believe the security claim made by university officials after he was not offered specific details.
She told the outlet: ‘That was a primary emotion, pride, humility and humbleness. “It very quickly turned into shock and surprise.”
When he pressed school officials further, he said: ‘[It was] almost a one-way conversation, and the next day they came to see me.
“They called me and said, ‘It’s a shame, but you can’t talk.’ It’s been a rollercoaster and I’d say that’s the best way to describe it.
‘When people use this particular topic as a way to discuss issues of free speech, security, the first amendment, racism, hate and ideological debate.
‘That’s exactly what a university is supposed to do, that’s exactly how we learn as university students.
“It’s not about the speech, it’s about the representation, it’s about the principle.”
Tabassum has shared pro-Palestinian views and likes expressed through his Instagram account, which he has since made private and deleted his posts.
The student’s Instagram bio links to a landing page that says “learn what’s happening in Palestine and how to help.”
Tabassum, who studies biomedical engineering with a major in resistance to genocide, would have addressed 65,000 people at the ceremony
“While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to security,” Chancellor Andrew Guzmán wrote in a letter to the university community.
Tabassum herself suggested that she was being silenced and that her university had “abandoned” her.
She wrote in a statement: ‘Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a racist hate campaign because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all.
‘This campaign to prevent me from addressing my classmates at graduation has evidently achieved its objective.
‘USC administrators informed me that the university will no longer allow me to speak at graduation due to alleged safety concerns.
“I am shocked by this decision and deeply disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate aimed at silencing my voice,” she continued.
‘I’m not surprised by those who try to spread hate. “I am surprised that my own university, my home for four years, has abandoned me.”