By Caroline Mora
On Monday, Apr. 15, 2024, the University of Southern California (USC) announced that their valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, will not be allowed to give her speech at the 2024 graduation ceremony. This announcement follows recent safety and security concerns.
The job of the valedictorian is to represent their graduating class as the highest achieving student in their year. USC assigns senior facility members to a Valedictorian and Salutatorian Selection Committee, where select staff review the valedictorian applicants and choose the candidate they feel best meets the criteria. The valedictorian’s speech is meant to be the final farewell given to usher graduates into their new lives and next phases.
Tabassum, a biomedical engineering student with a minor in resistance to genocide, has expressed her support for the people of Palestine in the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023.
Tabassum has attended pro-Palestinian protests and has been consistently posting about the war on social media.
ABC 7 Eyewitness News spoke to Tabassum about this situation. According to her, she feels that it is only right that she expresses her opinion openly and stands up for what she believes is right.
“I stand by exactly what I stand by. It is the very values and the very lessons USC taught me that I stand by,” Tabassum said. “And I don’t believe it’s ironic for me to minor in something called resistance to genocide, and then speak out on it and then be revoked because I’m penalized for something that people have an issue with.”
The senior vice president and provost for academic affairs at USC, Andrew T. Guzman, has cited certain security threats as the reason for uninviting Tabassum to speak.
However, Tabassum denies ever hearing of or receiving threats online or in person.
Following USC President Carol Holt’s announcement that Tabassum was chosen as valedictorian, Tabassum has become the subject of online discourse.
Trojans for Israel is a social group at USC created by Jewish students who openly express their support for Israel in the conflict. There are also the Trojans for Palestine, who express their support for the Palestinian people and oppose Israel’s continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Trojans for Israel have accused Tabassum of spreading anti-semitic rhetoric online.
“Because explicitly in her [Instagram] bio, she states that she calls for the abolishment of the state of Israel, which is completely anti-Semitic, and that makes us Jewish students at USC feel unsafe, unheard and targeted,” Trojans for Israel Vice President Ella Echo said.
Despite the allegations and controversy that her being valedictorian has caused, Guzman claims that the decision to uninvite the speaker has nothing to do with Tabassan’s identity or her personal beliefs, but with the security of the community.
“This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation — including the expectations of federal regulators — that universities act to protect students and keep our campus community safe,” Guzman said.
A whopping 65,000 people attend the USC graduation ceremony every year, and after seeing similar situations play out on other campuses that had led to violence and harassment, Guzman felt it was better to play it safe.
“I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice. I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university — my home for four years — has abandoned me,” Tabassum said.
Tabassum feels that USC, her community, has abandoned her and while this should be a time of celebration for herself and her peers, it is now a time of controversy.
According to Guzman, USC will be providing support for Tabassum, but the decision to cancel her speech was ultimately out of her control, adding that, “we weren’t seeking her opinion” about the cancellation.
In addition to canceling Tabassum’s speech, USC has also determined that they would release their honorees and outside speakers from speaking during the 2024 graduation ceremony. USC announced on Thursday that the mainstage graduation commencement ceremony has been canceled as well.
“It is important that our full attention be on our remarkable graduates. We will be celebrating their accomplishments in a way that reflects the unity we love so much about our Trojan Family,” USC said in a statement.
