The University of Southern California has pulled all speakers slated for its commencement next month.
First, valedictorian Asna Tabassum was removed from the graduation ceremony program. Even though Tabassum was selected among 200 student applicants who qualified based on an impeccable grade point average, she will not deliver remarks during the ceremony, as the university claimed that “tradition must give way to safety.”
Tabassum is outspoken in her stance in favor of Palestinians in light of Israel’s conflict with Hamas. Subsequent protests have broken out on campus, disputing her removal from the program. The decision to cancel her speech was made due to the rhetoric on social media about the war between Israel and Hamas “creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement, “USC’s Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew Guzman wrote in a
