Professor at the University of Southern California voted to censure the university’s president and president on Wednesday, citing the leadership’s mismanagement of pro-Palestine student protests and the decision to effectively cancel graduation.
The USC Academic Senate voted 21-7, with six abstentions, to censure President Carol Folt and Dean Andrew Guzman.
Faculty specifically criticized leadership’s decision to bar valedictorian Asna Tabassum from speaking at the planned graduation ceremony, citing threats against her because of her pro-Palestinian views. Tabassum, a Muslim student, studied biomedical engineering and specialized in genocide studies.
After protesters on campus organized a pro-Palestine encampment days later, the university decided to cancel the main stage graduation ceremony entirely. Folt cited enhanced security needs for the event, which was expected to bring about 65,000 people to campus.
Nearly 100 USC students were arrested by police during the encampment, part of a nationwide protest movement at more than a hundred colleges and universities. More than 2,000 students were arrested across the country.
USC ordered Los Angeles police to completely evacuate the protest camp overnight Sunday.
“Occupiers have repeatedly chosen to ignore university policies designed to benefit everyone and to break the law. We needed to act quickly to protect the rights of our 80,000 students, staff and teachers. We are in the critical period from the quiet end-of-semester study week, through final exams and our graduation ceremonies,” Folt wrote in a statement.
Barnard College also voted against its leadership last month over its response to the protests, voting a vote of no confidence after Columbia University ordered the arrest of students for a pro-Palestine protest.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
