CHICAGO – The University of Chicago is facing criticism for its disciplinary response to campus protests against the war in Gaza.
It’s commencement weekend and at least four graduating students said their degrees are being withheld pending the university’s disciplinary process.
At a news conference Friday, one of those graduating seniors tossed his robes to the ground, along with a stole and a medallion he had just received for being an Odyssey Scholars at the university.
The students and faculty say the university’s disciplinary process has been arbitrary and has provided little transparency. They say it’s a blatant violation of their First Amendment student rights.
Earlier this month, The police cleared a tent camp on the quad. Days later, students briefly occupied the Institute of Politics building to protest the war in Gaza and demand that the university cut ties with Israel.
In a statement, university officials said U of C adheres to a well-defined, faculty-led disciplinary system for disruptive behavior and that once a formal complaint is received and found credible, degrees may be withheld until the matter is resolved. Those students can still participate in Saturday’s convocation, but activists say it will only be a charade.
“My diploma doesn’t matter if there are people in Palestine and Gaza who will never step onto a stage again. Who will never receive a diploma. What’s with them? Who will fight for them? There are no more universities in Gaza, they have been bombed,” says student Youssef Hasweh.
Sixteen Chicago aldermen also weighed in, sending a letter to the university’s provost urging reconsideration of the decision to withhold degrees.
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