LOS ANGELES – On Monday, USC made the unprecedented decision to rescind its invitation for valedictorian Asna Tabassum to make an address at its commencement ceremony.
In response, Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney at ACLU of Southern California, issued the following statement.
“Institutions of higher learning — whether public or private — ought to be strong defenders of free speech and free inquiry. In making this decision, USC betrays these values.
If the university can accommodate speeches by Ben Shapiro and Milo Yiannopoulos and host President Obama and the king of Jordan at its graduations, surely it can bear whatever burden comes with celebrating Asna Tabassum as its valedictorian.
Rather than mollifying the hecklers, USC should reverse its decision and recommit to the protection of academic speech and intellectual thought, uncomfortable and challenging as it may be.”