Walkout At Harvard Commencement After 13 Students Denied Degrees

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Hundreds of students in graduation robes walked out of the Harvard commencement Thursday, a day after the school announced that 13 students who participated in a protest encampment would not be able to receive diplomas alongside their classmates.

On campus Thursday, student speaker Shruthi Kumar said that "this semester [students'] freedom of speech and expressions of solidarity became punishable," while others chanted "Free, free Palestine" and "Let them walk, let them walk."

Kumar added that she had to recognize "the 13 undergraduates in the class of 2024 who will not graduate today," adding that she is "deeply disappointed by the intolerance for freedom of speech and the right to civil disobedience on campus."

Those in the encampment earlier this month had called for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Harvard to divest from companies that support the war.

Earlier this month, protesters said they worked out an agreement to meet with university officials including the Harvard Management Company, which oversees the world's largest academic endowment, to discuss the Middle East conflict.

After the agreement was made, the tents in Harvard Yard were taken down, bringing an end to the encampment.

Over 1,500 students had petitioned, and nearly 500 staff and faculty had spoken up about the graduation bans, according to Kumar.

"This is about civil rights and upholding democratic principles," she said. "The students had spoken. The faculty had spoken. Harvard do you hear us?"

The decision by Harvard's top governing board to bar students from graduation follows a recommendation Monday by faculty members to allow the 13 to receive their degrees despite their participation in the encampment.

However, the Harvard Corporation said that each of 13 has been found to have violated the university’s policies by their conduct during the encampment protest.

"In coming to this determination, we note that the express provisions of the Harvard College Student Handbook state that students who are not in good standing are not eligible for degrees," the corporation said in a written statement.

Students at many college campuses this spring set up similar encampments, calling for their schools to cut ties with Israel and businesses that support it.

The latest Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas and other militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking an additional 250 hostage. Palestinian militants still hold about 100 captives, and Israel's military has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.