Despite the chaos and controversy that has engulfed USC’s campus over the last few weeks, the first day of graduation ceremonies went off without a hitch much to the relief of graduates and their families who were shaken by the school’s decision to cancel its university-wide commencement.
On Wednesday, the first set of more than 100 planned graduation events took place, which included the Ph.D hooding ceremonies for the schools of engineering, business, education, journalism and arts and sciences. Ceremonies will continue on campus through Saturday.
“I’m very happy and am really proud of myself to graduate from the University of Southern California and very thankful to my parents and my family who always supported me,” said Haonan Yang, a mechanical engineering Ph.D graduate. “I have to share this important moment with my parents.”
Yang’s parents traveled all the way from the central Chinese city of Luoyang to attend his graduation ceremony and would have been extremely disappointed if it was canceled or disrupted, he said. But they were all smiles on Wednesday as they proudly accompanied him around campus wearing “USC Mom” and “USC Dad” t-shirts.
That moment was not a given, following the turmoil first ignited by the university’s mid-April decision to not allow its pro-Palestinian valedictorian to speak at commencement and further enflamed by LAPD’s arrest of 93 pro-Palestinian protesters at USC on April 24 — all of which culminated in the administration’s decision to cancel Thursday’s commencement event.
Jillian Fennell, a Ph.D graduate in the school of gerontology, said she wasn’t upset by the cancellation of commencement, but was very thankful that no changes were made to her graduation ceremony.
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“It lets my my family in on a dear piece of my life that they haven’t been able to see because they are across the country and I’m actually speaking at my graduation, which is a big honor,” she said. “The trip had been planned for a long time so if they (USC) had cancelled the ceremony that would have been a big disaster.”
USC said it cancelled commencement because it would be unable to bring the typical crowd of over 65,000 attendees through the new security protocols instituted on campus in a timely manner.
Since the April 24 arrests, the USC campus has been closed to the public and students and staff have been required to present identification to enter.
USC became a focal point of Southern California’s Palestinian protests following its decision to cancel a commencement speech by pro-Palestinian valedictorian Asna Tabassum in response to complaints about online posts that critics called antisemitic. USC officials insisted the move was solely a security issue, not a political decision.
As tensions continued mounting — leading to last Wednesday’s mass protest — the university eventually opted to cancel its May 10 main stage commencement in Alumni Park altogether, but vowed to move forward with the usual array of smaller satellite graduation ceremonies for the school’s individual colleges. Those ceremonies began Wednesday.
During this week’s graduation ceremonies, all attendees are required to show tickets and pass through airport style security to enter campus. In addition, all possessions must be brought in a clear plastic bag.
As commencement ceremonies begin people go through a check point inside USC in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The school canceled their main commencement ceremony because they were unable to process the crowds due to new security protocols following protests. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
“It’s a bummer that it’s sort of like a prison with how its set up right now with all the fencing,” said Fennell. “There’s not lot of leeway for where you can go and how long it takes to get places is crazy.”
Fennell said campus security on Wednesday felt like a “warm up” for the rest of the week when the major ceremonies will be taking place.
On Thursday, there will be special ceremonies held for LGBTQ+, Latinx, and Asian Pacific graduates as well as student athletes.
Then, in lieu of a the traditional on campus commencement, USC is hosting a university wide “Trojan Family Graduation Celebration” at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Thursday evening, beginning at 8:30 p.m. Every graduate is given a six ticket allowance for the event, which is slated to include drone shows, fireworks, surprise performances and the Trojan Marching Band.
Friday is the largest day of celebration where most undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to walk across stage and receive their diplomas. Festivities will conclude on Saturday with a series of graduation events for medical students.
City News Service contributed to this report
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