Liam Conner
Xavier University of Louisiana has become the second school to rescind a graduation invitation to United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield due to student protest over the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The move came days after the University of Vermont also canceled Thomas-Greenfield’s commencement address.
Administrators at both universities cited student and community pressure over the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas.
“The vast majority of students want to be able to enjoy an uninterrupted graduation ceremony,” Xavier President Dr. Reynold Verret wrote in a letter. He called the university’s decision to disinvite Thomas-Greenfield “regrettable” and said he decided to do so “together with Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s team.”
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Xavier announced Thomas-Greenfield as commencement speaker on May 5. But three days later, after more than 1,700 people signed a petition asking the university to withdraw the invitation, the New Orleans-based university reversed course.
The student-led petition called on the university to “end the politicization of our graduation ceremony” and cited Thomas-Greenfield’s record at the UN. She has previously voted against measures calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Nate Evans, a spokesman for Thomas-Greenfield, told CBS News: “Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield looks forward to continuing to engage with young people on campuses and other forums across the country to inspire the next generation of diplomats, as she has done recently in Pennsylvania, Texas and New York.”
The ambassador recently visited a high school in Philadelphia, where she held a school assembly and met privately with a group of Palestinian students.
Last week, Thomas-Greenfield was disinvited from speaking at the University of Vermont’s commencement ceremony.
On a Letter To the university community, University of Vermont President Suresh Garimella acknowledged the demonstrations on campus. “I hear your frustration with foreign policy decisions,” he wrote, adding that the decision to cancel the ambassador’s appearance was made “with regret.”
CBS News has learned that the university formally invited Thomas-Greenfield to speak at its commencement last summer, several months before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Xavier’s invitation came earlier this year, long before nationwide campus protests began.
A source familiar with the ambassador’s thinking told CBS News that Thomas-Greenfield was not intimidated by the demonstrations at either school and was prepared to make her comments. The source said they are also aware of the threat of protesters disrupting graduation ceremonies, which could jeopardize the honoring of graduates and their achievements.
Thomas-Greenfield served in a variety of diplomatic roles over a nearly 40-year career in government. She was appointed UN ambassador at the beginning of the Biden administration.
On Thursday, speaking to Dallas station WFAA, she offered a message to protesters on college campuses across the country. “I want students to know they are being heard. At the same time, we must make it clear that they cannot use violence as a means of getting their message across,” said Thomas-Greenfield. She was not asked specifically about graduation ceremonies.
President Biden is scheduled to speak to Morehouse College graduates on May 19. So far, the student protests have not altered graduation plans at the historically black college in Atlanta.
Camilla Schick and Jane Chick contributed reporting.
