The University of Southern California canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians, citing security concerns, a rare decision that was praised by several pro-Israel groups and lambasted by free speech advocates and the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization.
Andrew T. Guzman, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the private university in Los Angeles, said in a statement that debate over the selection of valedictorian Asna Tabassum to give the commencement speech took on an “alarming tenor.” Her speaking would have presented “substantial” security risks for the event, which draws 65,000 people to campus, he said.
Universities should resist cancelling events that could be perceived as censorship, especially one as high-profile as a commencement speech, said Zach Greenberg, a first amendment attorney with the national Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression or FIRE. But, if they do, schools must be transparent and specify security concerns “not only as a matter of integrity” but also to warn the public for their own safety, he said.
He expressed concern about other schools buckling to pressure and eroding free speech.