Latest news with #LavenderGraduation
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
As colleges halt affinity graduations, students of color plan their own cultural celebrations
Graduating students of color at Harvard University and other colleges across the country would end their semester by attending affinity graduation ceremonies — but this year, they had to organize these celebrations without the school's financial backing. Harvard, currently battling the Trump administration over a range of issues, halted all of its affinity ceremonies for students this year. This left alumni stepping in to raise funds and students scrambling to find new spaces. Members of the Harvard Black Alumni Society raised $46,000 for this year's event after the university announced April 28 that it would no longer fund the ceremonies. 'This rapid response from our alumni network demonstrates the strength and commitment of our community,' Alana Brown, the society's university relations chair, said in a statement earlier this week. An attendee of Harvard's canceled Lavender Graduation, which celebrates LGBTQ students, said on Facebook that a small group of students had organized an independent event. 'It was a beautiful mix of #lgtbqia young people and elders,' the attendee, Peter Khan, added. 'It was an honor and privilege to be there.' Harvard's Asian American Alumni Alliance said on Facebook that its ceremony was important for students to experience because they provide space for recognition, solidarity, and community in the face of uncertainty. The alliance said the ceremony took place as the Trump administration announced plans to revoke student visas for international students at the university. These actions come as the Trump administration this week asked federal agencies to potentially end their contracts with the university, worth an estimated $100 million in funding. These threats follow President Donald Trump's executive order ending federal spending toward DEI, which he calls 'radical and wasteful.' Affinity graduations at most higher education institutions are usually optional and supplement the main commencement ceremony. They are meant to honor students' academic achievements and cultural identities, specifically those from communities that have 'historically been denied access to higher education because of who they are,' according to the Leadership Conference Education Fund, a civil rights policy think tank. This includes disabled students, people of color, Jewish and first-generation students, among others. The university joins many others across the nation that have canceled affinity graduations after the federal crackdown on funding for colleges. Notre Dame canceled its Lavender Graduation for 50 LGBTQ students, with members of the university's Alumni Rainbow Community and the Notre Dame Club of Greater Louisville stepping in to host an independent ceremony this month. Wichita State University, the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky also canceled some or all of its affinity ceremonies. The Hispanic Educators Association of Nevada said it canceled its event for Latino students because of a lack of financial support. Harvard University did not respond to NBC News for a request to comment. Earlier this year, the college announced it would 'no longer provide funding, staffing, or spaces for end-of-year affinity celebrations. Under the new auspices of Community and Campus Life, the University is building inclusive traditions that reflect the richness of every student's experience and reinforce our shared identity as one Harvard community.' Jean Beaman, an associate professor of sociology at the Graduate Center of The City University of New York, said affinity graduations also recognize the range 'of challenges and obstacles that students who come from various minoritized populations at predominantly white institutions face as they work towards their degrees.' One example she cites is affinity graduations for Black students, which speak to 'the ways that our accomplishments are not just ours, but also something in line with that of our ancestors and the hurdles of our ancestors, and making that more central to the festivities that you would have in a 'typical' graduation.' Beaman calls the affinity graduation cancellations nationwide 'a very disturbing development,' since she said many seem to be acting based on Trump's executive orders and not on the law. 'It's a way in which institutions of higher education are participating in anticipatory obedience,' Beaman said. The Maricopa County Community Colleges District in Arizona canceled a ceremony for Indigenous students within the past few weeks, citing 'new enforcement priorities set by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights,' which affect 'programs and activities that focus solely on race, identity, or national origin,' according to an email obtained by NBC News. Collin Skeets, a member of the Navajo Nation who received his associate degree in secondary education this month from Mesa Community College, said that 'it was pretty heartbreaking' and that he even shed some tears over the cancellation. Once again he said he felt like he was again being told 'no' after the history of hardships his own Indigenous ancestors had endured in continuing their education. 'Just knowing that I was able to graduate was just an unbelievable feeling, it's hard to put into words,' said Skeets, who is 36 and a first-generation college student. He said he was looking forward to wearing his traditional clothing to graduation and celebrating with other Indigenous students. Eventually the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community intervened, holding a ceremony on its reservation near Scottsdale. Skeets said he felt 'so much better' knowing he could share the experience with family and even spoke at the ceremony 'Things kind of fell through at first but then came back and all meshed together in a way that I was able to celebrate with family again and achieve this milestone in my life,' he said. Beaman of CUNY said she hopes schools will 'put their foot down' against the cancellations in the future. Holding affinity graduations off-campus is a 'testament of their will and determination,' she said of students, adding that it likely helped them obtain their degrees. 'It's also a reminder that — both presently and historically — students have often had to be the vanguard of change in institutions of higher education, particularly predominantly white institutions, and I see this as no different from that.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
As colleges halt affinity graduations, students of color plan their own cultural celebrations
Graduating students of color at Harvard University and other colleges across the country would end their semester by attending affinity graduation ceremonies — but this year, they had to organize these celebrations without the school's financial backing. Harvard, currently battling the Trump administration over a range of issues, halted all of its affinity ceremonies for students this year. This left alumni stepping in to raise funds and students scrambling to find new spaces. Members of the Harvard Black Alumni Society raised $46,000 for this year's event after the university announced April 28 that it would no longer fund the ceremonies. 'This rapid response from our alumni network demonstrates the strength and commitment of our community,' Alana Brown, the society's university relations chair, said in a statement earlier this week. An attendee of Harvard's canceled Lavender Graduation, which celebrates LGBTQ students, said on Facebook that a small group of students had organized an independent event. 'It was a beautiful mix of #lgtbqia young people and elders,' the attendee, Peter Khan, added. 'It was an honor and privilege to be there.' Harvard's Asian American Alumni Alliance said on Facebook that its ceremony was important for students to experience because they provide space for recognition, solidarity, and community in the face of uncertainty. The alliance said the ceremony took place as the Trump administration announced plans to revoke student visas for international students at the university. These actions come as the Trump administration this week asked federal agencies to potentially end their contracts with the university, worth an estimated $100 million in funding. These threats follow President Donald Trump's executive order ending federal spending toward DEI, which he calls 'radical and wasteful.' Affinity graduations at most higher education institutions are usually optional and supplement the main commencement ceremony. They are meant to honor students' academic achievements and cultural identities, specifically those from communities that have 'historically been denied access to higher education because of who they are,' according to the Leadership Conference Education Fund, a civil rights policy think tank. This includes disabled students, people of color, Jewish and first-generation students, among others. The university joins many others across the nation that have canceled affinity graduations after the federal crackdown on funding for colleges. Notre Dame canceled its Lavender Graduation for 50 LGBTQ students, with members of the university's Alumni Rainbow Community and the Notre Dame Club of Greater Louisville stepping in to host an independent ceremony this month. Wichita State University, the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky also canceled some or all of its affinity ceremonies. The Hispanic Educators Association of Nevada said it canceled its event for Latino students because of a lack of financial support. Harvard University did not respond to NBC News for a request to comment. Earlier this year, the college announced it would 'no longer provide funding, staffing, or spaces for end-of-year affinity celebrations. Under the new auspices of Community and Campus Life, the University is building inclusive traditions that reflect the richness of every student's experience and reinforce our shared identity as one Harvard community.' Jean Beaman, an associate professor of sociology at the Graduate Center of The City University of New York, said affinity graduations also recognize the range 'of challenges and obstacles that students who come from various minoritized populations at predominantly white institutions face as they work towards their degrees.' One example she cites is affinity graduations for Black students, which speak to 'the ways that our accomplishments are not just ours, but also something in line with that of our ancestors and the hurdles of our ancestors, and making that more central to the festivities that you would have in a 'typical' graduation.' Beaman calls the affinity graduation cancellations nationwide 'a very disturbing development,' since she said many seem to be acting based on Trump's executive orders and not on the law. 'It's a way in which institutions of higher education are participating in anticipatory obedience,' Beaman said. The Maricopa County Community Colleges District in Arizona canceled a ceremony for Indigenous students within the past few weeks, citing 'new enforcement priorities set by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights,' which affect 'programs and activities that focus solely on race, identity, or national origin,' according to an email obtained by NBC News. Collin Skeets, a member of the Navajo Nation who received his associate degree in secondary education this month from Mesa Community College, said that 'it was pretty heartbreaking' and that he even shed some tears over the cancellation. Once again he said he felt like he was again being told 'no' after the history of hardships his own Indigenous ancestors had endured in continuing their education. 'Just knowing that I was able to graduate was just an unbelievable feeling, it's hard to put into words,' said Skeets, who is 36 and a first-generation college student. He said he was looking forward to wearing his traditional clothing to graduation and celebrating with other Indigenous students. Eventually the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community intervened, holding a ceremony on its reservation near Scottsdale. Skeets said he felt 'so much better' knowing he could share the experience with family and even spoke at the ceremony 'Things kind of fell through at first but then came back and all meshed together in a way that I was able to celebrate with family again and achieve this milestone in my life,' he said. Beaman of CUNY said she hopes schools will 'put their foot down' against the cancellations in the future. Holding affinity graduations off-campus is a 'testament of their will and determination,' she said of students, adding that it likely helped them obtain their degrees. 'It's also a reminder that — both presently and historically — students have often had to be the vanguard of change in institutions of higher education, particularly predominantly white institutions, and I see this as no different from that.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Louisville caves to anti-LGBTQ+ forces twice this week
The University of Louisville, a public institution in Kentucky, has canceled its LGBTQ+ graduation event and reached a nearly $1.6 million settlement with a former professor who sued, claiming that his anti-transgender comments had led to his demotion and firing. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. The school canceled its Lavender Graduation event, which was to take place last Monday and honor the achievements of LGBTQ+ students, 'amid new federal and state policies calling on schools to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices,' The Courier-Journal of Louisville reports. In March, the Republican-controlled Kentucky legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's veto of a bill banning DEI initiatives at public colleges and universities in the state. At the national level, Donald Trump's administration has threatened to revoke federal funding from schools with DEI programs. University spokesman John Karman told The Courier-Journal that the cancellation came because of the new state and federal policies. However, he 'said he was not aware of any other graduation ceremonies canceled due to the policies,' the paper reports. Meanwhile, the University of Kentucky, based in Lexington, canceled its Lavender Graduation as well, along with the Harambe Unity Celebration Graduation, which was to honor Black graduates, and the First-Generation Student Pinning Ceremony. Also, the University of Louisville has settled a federal lawsuit filed in 2019 by Allan Josephson, who had been a professor in the Department of Pediatric and who had denounced gender-affirming care for trans youth, The Courier-Journal reports. Josephson was represented by the anti-LGBTQ+ Alliance Defending Freedom. In 2017, he spoke at a Heritage Foundation event, at which he said 'transgender ideology' endangers young people and that the 'notion that gender identity should trump chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive organs, external genitalia, and secondary sex characteristics when classifying individuals is counter to medical science.' This view is contrary to that of every major medical group in the U.S. He was first demoted 'to the role of a junior faculty member and stripped … of his teaching duties,' says an ADF press release, and after that the university declined to renew his contract. The university declined to divulge details of the settlement, but the ADF said it was close to $1.6 million. The suit was dismissed Monday, 'as the parties have settled all claims raised in this litigation,' states a document from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. 'I'm glad to finally receive vindication for voicing what I know is true,' Josephson said in the ADF release.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Louisville cancels graduation ceremony for LGBTQ+ students. Here's why
A University of Louisville spokesperson confirmed a graduation ceremony for LGBTQ+ students was cancelled April 21 amid new federal and state policies calling on schools to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices. UofL spokesperson John Karman said in a statement to The Courier Journal the cancellation of Lavender Graduation ceremony was made in relation to the new policies, which includes Kentucky House Bill 4, a state law banning DEI initiatives at public universities. Karman said he was not aware of any other graduation ceremonies canceled due to the policies. The Lavender Graduation ceremony, where graduating LGBTQ+ students would be honored for their achievements, was scheduled for 3 p.m. April 21 in the College of Business Horn Auditorium, according to an online registration form. Graduates who were planning to receive rainbow graduation cords will still be able to pick them up at the Cultural and Equity Center until May 9, according to an Instagram post from UofL's LGBT Center. Under House Bill 4, UofL and other Kentucky universities have until June 30 to eliminate DEI initiatives, defined as being "designed or implemented to promote or provide differential treatment or benefits to individuals on the basis of religion, race, sex, color or national origin." UofL President Gerry Bradley said last week the university would form work groups to review new policies for compliance. Implementation of the approved recommendations is set to begin by May 30. The Trump administration has also pushed schools to ban DEI programs or else risk losing federal funding. A four-page "Dear Colleague" letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education in February stated all public institutions had 14 days to stop "using race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life." The University of Kentucky also canceled its Lavender Graduation, as well as the Harambe Unity Celebration Graduation honoring Black graduates and the First-Generation Student Pinning Ceremony, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported April 18. More: Ex-Louisville professor who sued school over transgender comments lands $1.6M settlement Reporters Killian Baarlaer and Krista Johnson contributed. Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@ or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: University of Louisville graduation ceremony for LGBTQ+ students canceled
Axios
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Conservative lawmakers question funding for "woke" colleges
The state's public colleges and universities will soon learn whether their "woke liberal agenda" will affect their state funding. Why it matters: While it varies by institution, state funding makes up a sizable portion of the budget at public schools like IU, Purdue, Ball State and Ivy Tech. Cuts to state support could impact everything from staffing to financial aid at a time when the state is trying to increase the number of Hoosiers getting a post-secondary education. Driving the news: The House Ways and Means Committee is taking public testimony on House Bill 1001, the state's two-year budget, today. The current version of the bill is Gov. Mike Braun's budget proposal. House Republicans will introduce their spending plan next week. State of play: Conservative lawmakers have raised concerns about "liberal" policies or programs on public campuses for years, but this year those concerns are increasingly turning into threats against their state funding. State comptroller Elise Nieshalla was among a group calling for IU to be defunded over its continued housing of the Kinsey Institute. IU has said it is complying with a 2023 law that prohibited Kinsey from receiving any state dollars. Several lawmakers sharply questioned IU and Ball State officials last month during budget presentations over "woke" professors and programming for LGBTQ+ students — including Ball State's gender-affirming clothing closet and IU's Lavender Graduation. What they're saying:"I get questioned quite regularly, 'Why do we continue to fund these universities at the level we do when they just go against our core values and continue to push a more woke liberal agenda?'" said Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, during those budget presentations. Prescott referenced, in particular, social media posts from well-known economist and Ball State professor Michael Hicks. "What can I say to reassure my constituents that the university is keeping their viewpoints in mind, and how can I justify continuing to fund a university that goes against our core values?" he asked Ball State University president Geoffrey Mearns. Roughly 40% of Ball State's general fund budget came from state support last year. The other side: Mearns said the university's values do align with the state's and that Hicks, "like any citizen has the right to express his views, irrespective of whether they align with the values of the institution," Mearns said. Between the lines: Last year, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 202, which put in place protections against retaliation for tenured faculty's research, regular reviews to ensure the protection of intellectual diversity and prohibitions against professors pushing political views in the classroom. Mearns said that both SB 202 and the First Amendment protect professors' rights to "express their personal views in their personal time." Zoom in: Braun's budget proposal, which cuts $700 million in state spending, holds funding for the state's public higher education institutions flat at their current level for the next two years. It also doesn't carry forward any "one-time" spending from the 2023 budget, including $5 million for Martin Universit y. The small private school is the state's only predominantly Black institution. Reality check: It's still early in the process for the budget. A final compromise likely won't be drafted until the final weeks of the session in April.
