Provost announces valedictorian won’t speak at graduation in May

The Office of the Provost sent an email Monday to the student body announcing that the valedictorian will not be speaking at this year’s graduation.

Andrew T. Guzman, the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said the decision was based on maintaining “campus security and safety” in the email. The valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, said in a public statement later Monday she feels the university has “abandoned” her.

“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,” said Guzman in the message to the USC community.

The decision was made after days of complaints from students, alumni and others who viewed the valedictorian’s social media activity as antisemitic.

“Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all… I was hoping to use my commencement speech to inspire my classmates with a message of hope. By canceling my speech, USC is only caving to fear and rewarding hatred,” Tabassum said in her two-page statement.

Guzman said the decision was made primarily out of concerns for on-campus safety. “The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement,” he wrote. “We cannot ignore the fact that similar risks have led to harassment and even violence at other campuses.”

In the statement, Tabassum wrote that she met with the Office of the Provost Sunday to express her own concerns about safety at commencement, to which they responded that “the University had the resources to take appropriate safety measures for my valedictory speech, but that they would not be doing so since increased security protections is not what the University wants to ‘present as an image.’”

Guzman, however, wrote that the valedictorian selection was made “based on various criteria – which did not include social media presence,” in the letter to the community. “Based on these faculty recommendations, I made the final decision.” The university had previously announced Tabassum as valedictorian on April 4 in an Academic Honors Convocation.

In her Instagram biography, Tabassum links to a pro-Palestine landing page that reads in part, “Learn about what’s happening in Palestine, and how to help.” Some students took to social media to express their opposition to her as their valedictorian due to the language on the landing page. The website states, “Zionism is a racist settler-colonial ideology that advocates for a Jewish ethnostate built on Palestinian land.”

Student groups and other on-campus clubs, such as Chabad and Trojans for Israel, called for the “reconsideration” of the valedictorian. The debate is similar to what’s happening on college campuses across America, and illustrates a deep divide only exacerbated by events in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Tabassum was elected valedictorian for having a GPA greater than 3.980, possessing total knowledge of an academic program, contributing to both university and community life, and submitting a reflection essay on her time at USC.

In an article about the selection, USC News noted Tabassum is graduating with a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in resistance to genocide. The article noted she has studied how technology, immigration and literacy affect the type of medical care people receive, and added, “She has also been an advocate for the community through her service with the Muslim Student Union and the Mobile Clinic at USC.”

The university told Annenberg Media there will be no other student speaker replacing Tabassum at the main ceremony on May 10 and that the university has offered her resources for support during this time.

USC’s main stage commencement ceremony is predicted to host 65,000 on the University Park Campus, according to the Office of the Provost. Jon M. Chu, the accomplished producer, director, and writer, will be the main ceremony’s commencement speaker.

This story was updated to include Tabassum’s statement, additional context, and more details.