As many university campuses in New York have been the site of ongoing pro-Palestinian protests, the question of whether these schools will hold in-person commencements is still up in the air.
In response to the heightened tensions on campuses, NY Governor Kathy Hochul issued a statewide letter in which she urged colleges not to cancel their upcoming graduation ceremonies.
While talking to reporters in Manhattan on Tuesday, Hochul asserted that academic institutions should not deny students the traditional experience of their graduation.
She also noted that many graduating seniors didn’t get to have in-person high school graduations four years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and argued that canceling them again this year would be unfair.
“It is my expectation that every college and university in New York will celebrate commencement safely in person,” she wrote in a letter to every campus president in the state on Monday. “To that end, my Administration’s public safety and operations teams are available to you to help advise on planning and best practices as you work to ensure in-person commencements can safely move forward.”
Yet, certain students who have been involved with pro-Palestinian protests, particularly at Columbia where tensions are especially high, have stated that they don’t even feel proud enough of their universities to receive a degree, as the school has repeatedly condemned protestors.
Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, referred to the upcoming ceremony as she pleaded with students who are occupying part of the campus lawn with tents as part of a demonstration to “voluntarily disperse” in a statement on Monday.
Alex Romero, a student protestor in the campus encampment, said his “heart goes out to the graduating seniors,” in an interview with the Gothamist on Monday, but if the protest gets canceled, “it’s not because of the encampment.”
“We are not the ones canceling the graduation,” he added. “The graduation can still happen if they meet our demands. But I also think the graduation could still happen here, they would just have to do it somewhere else on campus.”
So far, no university in New York has officially canceled their in-person commencement ceremony.
