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College administrators were preparing for potential disruptions to graduation ceremonies across the United States on Sunday, as pro-Palestinian protests continued to roil campuses.
Tensions are running high at some of the schools scheduled to hold commencements on Sunday, including Pomona College, where pro-Palestinian students have announced a protest targeting the ceremony. The school moved the location of its commencement after demonstrators set up an encampment on the stage where the event was supposed to be held.
High-profile speakers are also a potential flashpoint. On Sunday, Duke University’s commencement address will be delivered by the comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has lately taken a public stance in support of Jews in the United States and in Israel.
On Saturday, many commencement ceremonies took place without interruption. But a few were disrupted by protesters, including at the University of California, Berkeley, where hundreds of students rose from their seats and chanted. At Virginia Commonwealth University, about 60 graduates walked out during a speech by Glenn Youngkin, the state’s Republican governor. And at the University of Wisconsin, a handful of graduates stood with their backs to their chancellor as she spoke.
Hoping to minimize disruptions, some schools have announced increased security measures at commencements, such as banning flags and banners. A few have come to agreements with protesters for meetings or bowed to student demands and canceled commencement speeches, while others have called in the police to clear encampments and arrest protesters.
Here are other developments:
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Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans this week became the second school to rescind a commencement speaking invitation to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The University of Vermont said earlier this month that she would not be speaking there, a concession to a demand from student demonstrators.
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More than 2,800 people have been arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses since April 18, according to New York Times tracking data.
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