CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Hundreds of students in graduation gowns left Harvard’s graduation hall Thursday chanting “free and free Palestine” after weeks of protests on campus and a day after the school announced that 13 Harvard students who participated in a protest encampment would not be able to receive diplomas alongside their classmates.
Some students chanted “Let them walk, let them walk” during Thursday’s commencement, referring to the possibility of these 13 students graduating with their fellow graduates.
Student speaker Shruthi Kumar said that “this semester, our freedom of speech and expressions of solidarity have become punishable,” she said to cheers and applause.
She said she had to recognize “the 13 undergraduates in the Class of 2024 who will not graduate today,” generating cheers and prolonged applause from the graduates. “I am deeply disappointed by the intolerance toward free speech and the right to civil disobedience on campus.”
More than 1,500 students filed a petition and nearly 500 staff and faculty spoke out against the sanctions, she said.
“This is about civil rights and respect for democratic principles,” she said. “The students had spoken. The faculty had spoken. Harvard, can you hear us?
Camp residents had called for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Harvard to divest from businesses that support the war.
Speaker Maria Ressa, a journalist and press freedom advocate, told the graduates: “You don’t know who you are until you’re tested, until you fight for what you believe in . Because it defines who you are. »
“Campus protests are testing everyone in America. Protests are healthy. They shouldn’t be violent. They should not be silenced,” she said.
Alaha Nasari, a history of science and global health major, said she and other students chose to opt out of the ceremonies when interim President Alan Garber took the stage.
“What really touched me was when I saw the teachers from the stage come down and walk alongside the students. I think the lack of support from professors has been one of the most discouraging aspects of being a student protester,” she said.
Also Thursday, leaders of Northwestern University and Rutgers University are expected to testify at a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing about concessions they have granted to pro-Palestinian demonstrators to end demonstrations on their campus. The chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles, was also scheduled to appear at a series of hearings examining how universities have responded to protests and allegations of anti-Semitism.
The decision by Harvard’s top board of trustees follows a recommendation Monday by faculty members to allow the 13 students to receive their diplomas despite their participation in the camp.
However, Harvard’s Board of Trustees said each of the 13 violated university policies through their conduct during the protest at the encampment.
“In arriving at this decision, we note that the express provisions of the Harvard College Student Handbook provide that students who are not in good standing are not eligible to earn degrees,” the Harvard Corporation said in a written statement.
The statement leaves open the possibility of an appeals process, saying the company supports the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ intent to provide expedited review of appeal requests.
“We care deeply about every member of our community – students, faculty, staff, researchers and alumni – and we have chosen a path forward that is consistent with our responsibilities and reaffirms a process for our students to receive a timely assessment and fair,” the statement said. declaration added.
Supporters of the Harvard students said the decision not to allow them to receive degrees early violated a May 14 agreement between Garber and the Harvard Coalition Outside Occupied Palestine that would have allowed the students to graduate. .
Protesters against the war between Israel and Hamas voluntarily dismantled their tents after saying university officials agreed to discuss their questions about staffing, peacefully ending demonstrations broken up by police on several occasions. other campuses.
The group released a statement Wednesday evening, saying the decision jeopardized the lives of the 13 students after graduation.
“By rejecting a democratic faculty vote, the Corporation has revealed itself to be a completely illegitimate organization, and Garber an illegitimate president, accountable to no one at the university,” the group said.
There was a notable police presence around campus Thursday, mingling with soon-to-be graduates, their family members and sidewalk flower sellers.
A small plane flew overhead, trailing an Israeli and American flag. A truck was parked outside campus with an electronic billboard with the names and images of some pro-Palestinian protesters under the banner: “Harvard’s Top Anti-Semites.”
At Drexel University in Philadelphia, protesters packed up their belongings and left a pro-Palestinian encampment Thursday after the school announced its decision to ask police to clear the encampment. A wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments on campuses has led to more than 3,000 arrests nationwide.
News Source : abcnews.go.com
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