Less than one week after canceling the student valedictorian’s planned commencement speech, the administration at University of Southern California (USC) announced that they would also be rescinding invitations to all outside speakers who were scheduled to be a part of the ceremonies.
The initial announcement was made via an April 15th letter posted by the Office of the Provost on the school’s website, which said that student valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s speech was being canceled in the interest of public safety.
Noting that the commencement ceremonies were likely to draw a crowd of more than 60,000, Provost Andrew Guzman raised concerns about law enforcement’s ability to keep everyone safe if tensions were to be inflamed.
“Over the past several days, discussion relating to the selection of our valedictorian has taken on an alarming tenor. The intensity of feelings, fueled by…
