The crowning of Asna Tabassum as USC valedictorian was speculated to be a time of satisfaction for a college that has tried to shed its outdated picture as a playground for the privileged by bolstering teachers and variety.
In deciding on Tabassum from near 100 candidates with near-perfect GPAs and spectacular extracurriculars, USC put the highlight on a hijab-wearing Muslim daughter of Indian immigrants for its highest undergraduate honor.
A biomedical engineering main with a ardour for social justice who minored in “resistance to genocide,” she was simply the sort of pupil USC has aimed to draw and has celebrated in adverts for the college, the place the annual tab for these with out scholarships or monetary assist this fall will eclipse $95,000.
As a substitute, the choice by President Carol Folt to rescind Tabassum’s commencement talking slot after undisclosed threats has catapulted USC into virtually two weeks of protest and controversy. The campus gates are closed to the general public, police have made 93 arrests, many lessons have been moved on-line, and the marquee 65,000-attendee “most important stage” graduation ceremony has been known as off.
Even at a time when swelling demonstrations have engulfed campuses throughout the nation, USC stands out. No different college has pulled its most important graduation, and few have seen as many arrests as shortly as USC.
“It’s a whole catastrophe,” mentioned Viet Thanh Nguyen, a bestselling novelist and college professor of English, American research and ethnicity and comparative literature who has taught at USC for 27 years. “In each possibility, our administration has chosen the worst possibility. Each step alongside the best way, our administration has been absent.”
Gabriel Kahn, a USC journalism professor, had an analogous view.
“What I’ve needed to see from the start of that is for the college to exhibit some management and convene an uncomfortable dialog the place differing factors of view confront each other within the spirit of dialogue and studying,” he mentioned. “As a substitute, we’ve seen an effort to flee from something remotely controversial, which I believe is mental cowardice.”
On Friday, Folt — who till then had not commented publicly on the latest occasions — launched a letter to college students, school and workers, saying that “the previous few weeks have been extremely tough for all of us” and that “the present pressures and polarization have taken a toll in ways in which break my coronary heart.” Folt known as on the USC neighborhood to “share factors of view, pay attention, seek for widespread floor — and discover methods to assist one another.”
In an e mail, Lauren Bartlett, affiliate vice chairman for strategic and disaster communications, declined a Occasions request to interview Folt. The USC board chair, Suzanne Nora Johnson, additionally declined an interview request. Tabassum, who beforehand spoke to The Occasions, didn’t reply to a subsequent interview request.
The seeds of the USC disaster have been sown in March when Provost Andrew T. Guzman notified Tabassum that she was valedictorian. Her reward: becoming a member of the “most important stage” graduation on Might 10 to offer a 3-to-5-minute deal with.
On April 2, Folt and Guzman took half in an Educational Honors Convocation in a campus ballroom with Tabassum and others.
“I’m taking a look at a roomful of multi-hyphenates,” Folt mentioned, based on USC At the moment, which featured a bunch image of the smiling president with Tabassum behind her in a light-weight inexperienced hijab. Folt mentioned college students impressed her as a result of they have been “increasing that private seek for that means to incorporate one thing essential: benefiting humanity.”
Professional-Israel teams shortly seized on Tabassum’s choice, accusing the college of caving to antisemitism.
“What is going to she say on the podium?” mentioned an April 9 Instagram put up by teams together with We Are Tov and Israel Warfare Room that went viral.
The complaints centered on a pro-Palestinian hyperlink on Tabassum’s Instagram profile. The hyperlink to a “Free Palestine” web site mentioned, “Zionism is a racist settler-colonialist ideology.” It added that “one Palestinian state would imply Palestinian liberation and the whole abolishment of the state of Israel” in order that “each Arabs and Jews can dwell collectively.”
Six days later, on April 15, USC introduced that Tabassum would now not seem on the graduation stage, citing safety considerations. The college has not supplied extra particulars in regards to the nature of the threats, and the LAPD mentioned it had not obtained reviews of threats to Tabassum or the graduation.
In an interview on the time, Guzman, the provost, mentioned Folt was not behind the choice to cancel the speech. A day later, Joel Curran, USC’s senior vice chairman of communications, contradicted Guzman, saying the ultimate determination was certainly the president’s.
Some school, directors and oldsters of scholars questioned why the choice course of didn’t embody vetting of social media. Though the provost cited “the expectations of federal regulators” in explaining why Tabassum’s speech was canceled, many school noticed a transparent need to stop the kind of congressional hearings on antisemitism that wrought havoc for the presidents of Harvard, Columbia and the College of Pennsylvania.
“It’s a part of bigger crises in academia,” mentioned Nguyen. “Universities are underneath a right-wing assault.”
By April 18, tons of have been marching on campus in assist of Tabassum’s said perception that she was being “silenced” for her race, faith and political beliefs. Tabassum mentioned in an interview that she had no plans to immediately deal with the Israeli-Palestinian battle at commencement however needed to speak about “hope.” She mentioned she isn’t antisemitic and had by no means publicly been an activist for the pro-Palestinian trigger.
On April 19, the “most important stage” graduation was diminished additional when the college canceled an deal with by director Jon M. Chu of “Loopy Wealthy Asians.” It additionally nixed the awarding of honorary levels on the ceremony to recipients together with tennis star Billie Jean King.
Curran mentioned the college didn’t need to put outdoors company in an “awkward state of affairs” the place they’d really feel pressured to talk out about Tabassum or take sides within the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A spokeswoman for the USC Faculty of Cinematic Arts, which helped recruit Chu, cited “safety considerations.”
Tensions have been mounting. The ACLU and the Council on American-Islamic Relations had gotten concerned, providing help to Tabassum. The USC Chabad Jewish heart known as out the college for blaming safety whereas accusing it of failing to deal with questions of antisemitism head-on in a time of rising anti-Jewish hatred.
The occasions additionally tore at precarious bridges constructed between Muslims and the administration after pupil complaints lately of anti-Muslim bias on campus.
Members of the Advisory Committee on Muslim Life at USC — made up of scholars, school and workers — wrote to Folt, asking her to rethink the Tabassum determination by April 19. Once they mentioned they didn’t hear again, greater than half the members resigned.
“It’s a bewildering time,” mentioned Aisha Patel, a graduate pupil in communication research who was amongst those that resigned. “I hope that is the tipping level of true change and that the administration begins listening and having deep conversations.”
The subsequent night time, Folt appeared at a $550-per-person alumni gala at a Fairmont Century Plaza ballroom. In a quick deal with, she acknowledged legal professional, investor and philanthropist Charles Griffin Cale, who was awarded USC’s highest alumni achievement prize.
The president didn’t focus on the speech cancellation.
Throughout the nation, pro-Palestinian activists at faculties and universities have been mounting encampments, modeled after one at Columbia College. Greater than 50 tents went up at UC Berkeley, whereas Cal Poly Humboldt closed its campus after pro-Palestinian activists barricaded themselves in college buildings.
USC activists, newly energized and angered over Tabassum, raised tents earlier than dawn on Wednesday. By morning, they hung “Free Palestine” and “Liberated Zone” banners and posters throughout Alumni Park, the standard web site of the “most important stage” commencement ceremony.
Campus safety instructed the rising crowd that tents and indicators on bushes weren’t allowed and that microphones have been banned. Some scuffles ensued as USC safety officers tried to dismantle the encampment earlier than relenting underneath stress from crowds chanting “disgrace.”
LAPD helicopters circled above. USC shut off public entry to campus. Guzman, the provost, instructed tutorial deans that professors might transfer lessons on-line.
LAPD officers in riot gear staged outdoors the gates. Shortly after 5 p.m., dozens of officers marched onto campus, and an hours-long standoff with protesters started. By the night, police had arrested 93 folks, a lot of them college students, and moved the remaining crowd off campus.
Nguyen, the professor, was among the many protesters. “These have been college students with direct calls for. They need the divestment from ties to a genocide,” he mentioned — a reference to investments in weapons firms with ties to the conflict in Gaza.
USC has not mentioned whether or not it has these sorts of investments. Consultants on endowments say that universities usually have such monetary ties by way of endowment portfolios. In a press release final yr on tutorial boycotts of Israel, one other demand of protesters, USC mentioned it rejected them “on the grounds {that a} strong mental setting requires the free and civil alternate of concepts.”
Many Jewish teams have known as the divestment motion antisemitic, saying it goals to isolate and de-legitimatize the Jewish homeland.
By Thursday morning, the USC campus was calm. Employees cleared remaining tents from Alumni Park and put in white fencing for an annual graduate brunch.
In one other space, Jewish college students arrange lengthy tables for a Passover Seder that featured pictures of hostages who’re believed to nonetheless stay in Gaza after the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel, which killed 1,200 folks and took roughly 240 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory conflict has killed greater than 34,000 Palestinians, based on Gaza well being authorities, and the United Nations says roughly 2 million Gazans live in near-famine situations.
Folt tried privately to chill the tensions.
Following an earlier name with a member of the Advisory Committee on Muslim Life, she wrote again to the resigned members, saying she hoped they’d rethink however revered their determination, the members mentioned this week at a information convention. The identical day, she known as the campus Chabad Rabbi, Dov Wagner, providing her assist for the Jewish neighborhood, the rabbi mentioned in an interview.
Noon Thursday, a message went up on the USC web site. The “most important stage” graduation was canceled solely, as a result of new safety measures wouldn’t permit for the processing of numerous company, the message mentioned. Greater than two dozen satellite tv for pc commencements for particular person faculties and faculties would proceed. However there could be new safety checks — X-rays and metallic detectors — and an eight-ticket most per graduating pupil.
A graduating senior went viral on TikTok together with her displeasure. Dad and mom known as, frightened that they wouldn’t have the ability to carry giant households to rejoice.
“What they did was rob these college students, many who didn’t have a conventional commencement in 2020 due to COVID, of yet one more commencement,” mentioned Devin Griffiths, an affiliate professor of English and comparative literature. “We’ve got introduced up college students to consider they need to be forthright, engaged residents who discuss brazenly about their beliefs and disagreements. As a substitute, we shut graduation and ship them to jail.”
Scholar activists weren’t deterred. They staged a die-in at Founders Park.
“Disclose! Divest! We won’t cease! We won’t relaxation,” college students shouted.
The Founders Park protest continued by way of Friday afternoon, when Folt launched her campus letter to college students, school, workers and alumni.
“This week, Alumni Park turned unsafe. Nobody desires to have folks arrested on their campus. Ever,” she wrote. “However, when long-standing security insurance policies are flagrantly violated, buildings vandalized, [Department of Public Safety] directives repeatedly ignored, threatening language shouted, folks assaulted, and entry to important tutorial buildings blocked, we should act instantly to guard our neighborhood.”
A university-wide e mail then went out, asserting that unregistered company would stay blocked from coming into the usually open campus by way of Might 8.
It additionally mentioned that “no social occasions” have been allowed through the interval that included the end-of-year “research days” and ultimate exams. The rule is written within the pupil handbook however not often enforced. The e-mail advised that extra protesting wouldn’t be tolerated, saying that no “disruptive actions might happen.”
On Friday night, the LAPD and campus safety have been current on the protest. And the tents, cleared out earlier, had returned.
Occasions workers author Jenna Peterson contributed to this report.