University commencement speeches used to send graduates into the world with a boost of optimism and a dollop of advice. Now the events have become a political minefield.
Georgetown University’s law-school speaker stepped aside, the school wrote in a letter Wednesday, after students challenged his support for Israel. At South Carolina State, a rescinded speaker invitation ignited a DEI fight that now threatens the school’s funding.
At Utah Valley University, where a gunman killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year, the commencement speaker considered wearing a bulletproof vest under her gown—before pulling out altogether. New York University colleges have limited student speeches to prerecorded remarks.
Political violence, clashes over race and diversity, and geopolitical tensions have put many Americans on edge. Now that friction is spilling into commencement, a ceremony long reserved for good cheer.
Schools are generally steering away from partisan speakers but threading the needle is tough, said Robert Shibley, a lawyer at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. The underlying threat of violence, including a recent gunman at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, “has given schools an excuse to use safety concerns as a kind of catchall to do what they want.”