VOA教育报道2024--US Universities Concerned about Protests During Graduation Ceremonies

New York City police recently arrested students at Columbia University who were protesting the war between Israel and Hamas.

The University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles canceled a graduation speech by the school's valedictorian, who is Muslim.

And demonstrators set up camps on the grounds of the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Yale University in Connecticut. Harvard University near Boston closed Harvard Yard to outsiders.

University leaders are worried the unrest will disrupt the usual celebrations surrounding graduation.

Freedom of speech concerns

Since the war between Israel and Hamas started after Hamas' attack on Israel last October 7, college leaders have struggled. They are unsure how to protect students and their freedom of speech.

Recently, Columbia's president, Minouche Shafik, said the conflict in the Middle East is causing pain to both Jewish students and those who support Palestinians.

"But we cannot have one group dictate¹ terms and attempt to disrupt important milestones² like graduation to advance their point of view," she wrote in a message to the community.

History of protests

College graduation ceremonies, known as commencements, have been marked by protests in the past. Last year, students at Boston University turned their backs on speaker David Zaslav in a show of support for Hollywood writers who were on strike. In 1990, students at the all-women's Wellesley College in Massachusetts protested then-First Lady Barbara Bush. They said the school should have invited a speaker known for her accomplishments⁴, not those of her husband.

While those protests were peaceful, some university leaders are concerned about possible violence this year. Some Jewish students say they feel unsafe at their schools.

The University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats published a report in March about fear at U.S. colleges. The report said that more than half of Muslim and Jewish students felt "personal danger" in the past year.

The Anti-Defamation League is a nonprofit organization that fights hatred⁵ of Jews. The group recently sent a letter to college and university presidents asking them to "take clear and decisive action" to make sure graduation ceremonies succeed.

One of the commencement speakers who might face protesters is President Joe Biden. He is expected to speak at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York state.

Protests likely to continue

Statements from university leaders, policy changes to prevent student protests and even arrests have not made a difference. One expert believes that students are correct to be upset about the actions of their university leaders. Edward Ahmed Mitchell is a lawyer and an official with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Mitchell spoke⁶ about the cancellation⁷ of the student speech at USC. He said he was concerned that the school would not choose "a qualified⁸ visibly Muslim student who advocates for Palestine, to avoid what happened at USC."

At USC, the news that Asna Tabassum, a South Asian American Muslim, would not be permitted to give her commencement speech on May 10 led to days of protests.

Then, on April 25, USC said it would cancel the main part of its graduation ceremony, where Tabassum would have spoken and other well-known people would have appeared. The rest of the graduation activities will happen as planned, the school said.

"Schools are going to do more harm than good if they try to censor⁹ and silence commencement speakers," Mitchell added.

More than ceasefire

Other protests are demanding that schools cut ties to Israel or companies that support Israel's war effort. This includes companies that manufacture weapons sold to Israel. Students also want professors to stop taking money from the Israeli government if their research could be used for military technology.

Mahmoud Khalil is a student protest leader at Columbia University. He said students have been asking the university to sell its investments related to Israel since 2002.

Some pro-Palestine protesters at MIT said the university has received $11 million from Israel's defense¹⁰ ministry¹¹ in the last 10 years.

Quinn Perian is a second-year student at MIT and the leader of a Jewish student group calling for a ceasefire. Perian called MIT "complicit," adding that colleges should be held responsible for the part they play in the war.

At the University of Michigan, students said the university invests with companies that then invest in Israeli businesses. The university said only a small percentage of the money it invests goes to Israeli businesses and most of it is done indirectly¹².

Students at Yale, Harvard and Emerson College in Boston are all asking that their schools make their investments public. They want to know where the school's money goes and whether it supports Israel's military.

Owen Buxton studies movies at Emerson College. Buxton was one of about 80 people present at a protest on school grounds. He recently spoke to the Associated Press, saying he did not plan to leave the protest.

"I would love to go home and have a shower," Buxton said. "But I will not leave until we reach our demands, or I am dragged out by police."

Words in This Story

graduation -n. the ceremony marking the successful completion of studies at a school or college

valedictorian -n. a student who is among the best in a class, who is chosen to give a speech at the class's graduation ceremony

disrupt -v. to interfere¹³ with normal activities

accomplishment³ -n. something that is done for which people earn praise

decisive -adj. effective

advocate -v. to openly be in support of some cause, person or group

censor -v. to remove objectionable words and statements from writing, or other media

complicit -adj. involved in something

drag -v. to be pulled across the ground without care or exactness

1 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

2 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

3 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

4 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

8 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

9 censor   

n./vt.审查，审查员；删改

参考例句：

• The film has not been viewed by the censor.这部影片还未经审查人员审查。
• The play was banned by the censor.该剧本被查禁了。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

12 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

13 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。