"Political Minefield"... U.S. University Commencements Become Frontlines of Ideological Conflict

Controversies Over the Israel Conflict, DEI, and Support for Trump
Wave of Commencement Speaker Cancellations... Financial Pressure Mounts
Universities Turn to Bulletproof Vests and Prerecorded Speeches

Reports have emerged indicating that commencement stages at U.S. universities are increasingly becoming battlegrounds for political and ideological conflicts.

This photo shows a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump held last March at Saint Paul College in Minnesota, USA, and is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News Agency on the 9th (local time), citing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), "As debates intensify over the Israel conflict, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and support for U.S. President Donald Trump, there has been a growing number of cases where commencement speakers are either being disinvited or voluntarily stepping down."

For example, the School of Engineering at Rutgers University recently canceled the commencement speech of alumnus and biotech CEO Rami Elghandour. Some students declared they would boycott the ceremony due to Elghandour's past social media posts critical of Israel. Elghandour criticized the university's action as "moral cowardice." Similarly, Morton Schapiro, former president of Northwestern University, withdrew from his invitation to speak at Georgetown Law School amid pro-Israel controversy. Schapiro stated, "I wanted to share a message about humility and gratitude, but I do not wish to undermine the celebratory atmosphere."

The controversy surrounding commencement speakers has also extended to financial issues. The University of South Carolina withdrew its invitation to Lieutenant Governor Pam Evette, a Republican, due to controversy over her support for President Trump and her anti-DEI stance. In response, Evette pushed back by threatening to cut funding to the university. She argued, "A publicly funded university should not be biased," adding, "Views that deserve debate on campus are being excluded."

The safety of speakers has also come to the forefront. At Utah Valley University, where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed last year, author and podcaster Sharon McMahon stated that she wanted to deliver a speech offering comfort to those mourning Kirk. However, some Republican lawmakers criticized McMahon for her social media comments posted shortly after Kirk's death. McMahon considered hiring a security team and wearing a bulletproof vest but ultimately canceled her speech due to the high level of risk.

At North Carolina State University, there were security concerns after an online threat of gun violence was made against the scheduled commencement speaker, the CEO of Duke Energy. In addition, some schools at New York University reportedly replaced live commencement speeches with prerecorded videos to prevent unexpected incidents.

Experts analyze that this phenomenon is "a result of political polarization in American society permeating even the culture of university commencements." Speaker selection, which was not previously a source of controversy, is now seen as a reflection of a university's political stance.

John Tomasi, president of Heterodox Academy, a nonprofit organization advocating for academic freedom, commented, "The rigid atmosphere at some universities shows a failure to teach tolerance for differing viewpoints." Robert Shibley of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) pointed out, "Violent incidents, such as the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, have provided universities with a pretext to strengthen controls under the guise of safety concerns."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.