USC President Carol Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman addressed faculty and Academic Senate Wednesday to answer questions about the LAPD arrests on April 24, the maintained decision to rescind the valedictorian’s speech, and what is next for USC as commencement ceremonies approach in just one week.
The regularly scheduled Academic Senate meeting Wednesday was reoriented to address just a few of the 200 questions submitted online by faculty. The questions were answered in three sections: the cancellation of Asna Tabassum’s valedictorian speech, the calling of LAPD on the pro-Palestinian encampment and what is next for the university community.
The meeting kicked off with a discussion of the agenda and opening the floor for remarks from Folt and Guzman before the moderators represented some faculty questions. In their opening remarks, Folt and Guzman addressed the issues of disruption to commencement and their willingness to work toward a “peaceful” solution.
“I’ve been hearing it from people who are very directly involved in the horror that’s taking place in Gaza, in Israel and in other places around the world,” Folt said.
She reiterated that she cares deeply about the students and faculty before Guzman took over to address the same issues, stating how “heartbreaking” it has been to see the way events have unfolded.
Over 50 members of USC’s faculty gathered to watch the webinar moderated by Professors Dan Pecchenino, Margo Apostolos and Rima Jubran, who partially comprise the Academic Senate Executive Board. The following is a summary of the questions posed at Folt and Guzman and their responses.
Q: What can you share with us about the concerns that the move to cancel commencement was a way to please donors and avoid scrutiny from government officials?
A: Guzman said the claims are “untrue,” and that “there has not been pressure from donors.”
“There has not been pressure from donors.”
— Andrew Guzman, USC Provost
Guzman also re-confirmed that the decision to cancel Tabassum’s speech was based on threats, and not to please donors, explaining that the USC security team received “a very substantial, ‘unprecedented,’ was the words of security used, influx of emails and phone calls and social media postings. That created a security concern.” Guzman continued by explaining that “It was a threat to the valedictorian, her family and to everyone coming to commencement.”
Q: Will you reconsider holding the larger commencement ceremony and reinstating the valedictory address in some format? And if not, would you issue an apology to the valedictorian, the graduating class and the campus community?
A: Folt and Guzman both reaffirmed the university’s decision to cancel the main stage commencement ceremony, citing safety concerns at USC as well as across the nation. He went on to say that, “in some ways, the answer is outside in front of Doheny right now.” Guzman then confirmed that the administration’s focus is on the school-specific commencement ceremonies and other events, “the heart of the commencement every year.” Folt stated that she does “feel terrible” about the cancellations. “I think I could issue an apology that [the commencement ceremony] has become a target even though I didn’t create it,” she said of the increased scrutiny.
Q: You must know that many people are very upset with the decision to bring in the LAPD to control the protest last week. Who was involved in making that decision and what USC policies exist governing when police with weapons are called onto the campus?
A: Folt stated that in situations in which violent arrests seem possible, the LAPD has the authority to come to campus. She stated that she “agreed” to their presence on campus on April 24, but did not state that she or anyone else specifically called them. “I would have gone out there myself,” Folt said. “I don’t know why I didn’t, I regret that.” Folt and Guzman emphasized “de-escalation” in the future.
“I would have gone out there myself,” Folt said. “I don’t know why I didn’t, I regret that.”
— Carol Folt, USC President
Q: How many of the 90 plus individuals arrested were USC affiliated students? Have charges or other sanctions been dropped against the USC students, faculty and staff who were arrested?
A: Guzman confirmed 93 total arrests, stating that 51 were USC students and 36 were not affiliated with USC, and the information they have about the latter group is limited. “I do not know the status of the criminal charges at the city and state level,” Guzman said. “We have not moved forward with disciplinary proceedings against these students at the present time.” Guzman did not say whether the other 6 detainees unaccounted for were faculty or staff.
“We have not moved forward with disciplinary proceedings against these students at the present time.”
— Andrew Guzman, USC Provost
Folt also stated protesters were given three opportunities to disperse before arrests were made. “You always want to give people an opportunity to walk away, and a significant number did and they had decided in some ways amongst themselves, some would choose to be arrested and in some ways that was a very orderly decision,” she said.
Folt then explained that “what we’re trying to do now is really deescalate [...] We’ll try to deal with some of the things that are separating us right now once we get it de-escalated.” Folt also mentioned that she’s received “much more mail right now, from families, students and some faculty saying that they continue to be very disturbed that the encampment is allowed to exist.”
Q: Will you commit to allowing peaceful demonstrations and expressions of free speech on campus and pledge that DPS and/or LAPD will not interrupt them unless clear and proven signs of violence have occurred?
A: Folt began by stating that “I am very hopeful that we’re going to find a peaceful resolution.” Then, Folt discussed the “quite lovely” free speech zone on campus located near Leavey Library that is a possible new location for the encampment which is “five minutes from” the current location, in a “grassy” area, and has sanitation facilities. “We’ve been trying to talk to the students that are in the encampment right now if that could be a place they would be willing to go because it could allow us to do things a lot more peacefully and open up the rest of the campus in a different way,” Folt said.
Q: Based on one of your statements yesterday, it does not sound like discussions with protesting students are leading towards a clear resolution yet. What is your plan if the students currently occupying Alumni Park refuse to leave and going forward, how do you plan to handle potential protests, counter protests and other disruptions, especially at our commencement ceremonies?
A: Folt said, “We are acting in good faith to find a peaceful solution. We’re reaching out and will continue.” Folt then stressed her desire to move the encampment away from the center of campus, given its proximity to four different commencement ceremonies, saying “That would, of course, be the best resolution.” However, there has not been “any traction” on that idea yet.
Folt and Guzman also discussed the security measures that will be implemented at commencement ceremonies.
Q: We’ve heard some common frustrations from faculty with very different perspectives on the protests, and the larger geopolitical issues prompting them. One theme, a loss of trust is captured in this question from one faculty. How will both of you work to restore faith in your abilities to do your jobs effectively?
A: Folt emphasized the importance of earning the trust of faculty and that to earn trust is “you continue to try to do the things that are going well, you continue to try to talk to people, you continue to try to listen, you try to listen without emotion so if it’s critical, you can hear it.” Guzman echoed the importance of listening, saying that the only way he knows about building trust “is to listen. To meet with people as broadly as possible. To try my level best to approach everything I’m doing both in a forward-looking way and in a backwards-looking way with as much humility as I can, recognizing my own fallibility, recognizing the fact that just because I’ve done something doesn’t make it right.”
Folt also mentioned that she “respected” the Advisory on Muslim Life Committee for stepping down and that “every day I want to try to restore the faith that people come back and work with us on it.”
Q: We’ve heard concerns from faculty and students and you’ve touched on them a bit here about both increased anti-semitism and Islamophobia on campus. We’d like to know who you’re meeting with to address these concerns beyond maybe the established groups that exist and what needs to change going forward, whether in terms of policy or culture.
Folt said she was meeting with people from different groups such as Hillel and Chabad, and hearing from students on anti-semitism and Islamophobia, which she said have no space on campus. She said the conversations with different groups have been instrumental in coming up with major changes.
Stressing the importance of faculty participation in these conversations, she said, “I also do encourage you to work through the cultural spaces.”
Katie Simons contributed to this report.