Metal detectors. No banners, flags or large bags. Expect heightened security at university commencements after protests
CNN
An important personal milestone for many young adults will be reached against a backdrop of police barricades, increased law enforcement presence and other security measures.
Madelyn Gamble’s journey to graduation at Indiana University has been bookended by forces beyond her control. Gamble spent freshman year taking online university courses amid the Covid-19 surge. She didn’t meet anyone in her graduating class until sophomore year. And now protests in response to the Israel-Hamas war have detracted from the completion of her senior year. The information systems major hasn’t been on campus since last week, when, she said, the situation started “to get out of hand.” “We started college in a time of a lot of instability, where no one really knew what was going on,” said Gamble, a native of Washington state. “We started in instability and we’re ending in instability.” From New York to Los Angeles, traditional university graduation ceremonies – many beginning this weekend – will take place on the heels of escalating confrontations over the war in Gaza, with police entering campuses to make mass arrests and rip apart encampments. A time of sun-drenched pomp and circumstance, esteemed speakers, academic robes and decorated mortarboards arrives amid anxiety and exasperation for graduates, faculty and university officials grappling with safety concerns over potential disruptions.
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