The New College of Florida is gearing up to withhold diplomas from several students who disrupted the school’s May 17 commencement ceremony with pro-Palestinian chants.
According to a statement from the school, the Office of Student Affairs filed conduct violation complaints against five students who disrupted the commencement, booing speaker Joe Ricketts, founder and former CEO of TD Ameritrade, and shouting expletives and “free Palestine!”
Student protesters received letters saying they “failed to respond to instruction” and violated the student code of conduct, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and that consequences could include mandatory enrollment in a civil discourse class, suspension, expulsion, or withholding degrees.
“That students intermittently disrupted the proceedings was a disheartening reflection of the prevailing intolerance for diverse viewpoints in today’s society,” New College President Richard Corcoran wrote in a Monday op-ed. “But that illiberal attitude hasn’t and won’t rule New College.”
Withholding a degree is a rare move that is normally used when a student is found to have plagiarized or cheated to earn the credential. However, Corcoran noted that after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) restructured the New College, respectful political discourse became a top concern in differentiating the school from the vast majority of others that comprise what critics describe as a left-wing echo chamber in higher education.
“Key institutional changes, including the abolition of the DEI office and the gender studies program, fostered an environment of open dialogue, rejecting ideological conformity,” Corcoran wrote. “Enforcing the Student Code of Conduct further solidified the institution’s dedication to maintaining order and fostering respect.”
The New College’s overhaul was seen as an affront to the left-wing orthodoxy that has prevailed in academia for years. DeSantis appointed several conservatives to its board of trustees, a body that fired the school’s sitting president and dismantled the diversity, equity, and inclusion office. The changes led to a mass exodus of more than one-third of faculty members who were uncomfortable with the moves toward institutional neutrality and promoting academic discourse.
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Prior to the graduation ceremony earlier this month, the school notified students of conduct expectations, highlighting “respect for fellow graduates, guests, and speakers.”
In a statement after the disruptions had taken place, the school noted, “We support and protect the right of free speech while resolutely insisting upon civil discourse. Disruptive activities by a few individuals at a ceremonial event attended by hundreds is not representative of either of these principles.”