The Muslim valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, whose speech was cancelled by the University of Southern California amid controversy, received thunderous applause as she walked across the stage to accept her diploma at the Viterbi School of Engineering graduation ceremony.
Tabassum also received a standing ovation at a student recognition awards ceremony the day before.
The senior vice president of communications, Joel Curran, described the ceremony as “joyful and celebratory”.
This comes after weeks of tension and disappointment at the university following the cancellation of Tabassum’s commencement speech due to threats related to a pro-Palestinian link on her Instagram account. Pro-Israel groups deemed the linked website antisemitic. Tabassum has denied being antisemitic.
The university also cancelled the main-stage commencement ceremony, which typically draws a large crowd to the Los Angeles campus.
This decision followed student protests and the establishment of a pro-Palestinian encampment, which led to the arrest of 93 people.
“The world is in angst and it is in pain. International events take place thousands of miles away in different parts of the world, but we feel them here on our campuses. Through it you have demonstrated dignity, moral compass and true grace,” dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Yannis C Yortsos told the crowd of graduates.
The individual school ceremonies, while celebratory, carried the weight of the past challenging weeks on the USC campus.
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The sprawling campus resembled a fortress on Friday morning with strict security measures in place.
Tabassum released a form of her speech through student media on Friday, roughly when she would have spoken during the scrapped main-stage ceremony.
USC President Carol Folt has defended her actions, stating that campus safety is her “North Star.”
However, the Academic Senate censured Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman, citing “widespread dissatisfaction and concern among the faculty about administrative actions and decisions surrounding protests and commencement.”
