Grinning and thrilled UCLA graduates say goodbye to college in wake of protests

There were reports of students walking out of one ceremony, but the mood on UCLA campus was celebratory.

Despite tension stemming from recent pro-Palestinian protests and counterprotests – and subsequent security concerns – still top of mind for many, the University of California, Los Angeles, went forward on Friday, June 14, with joyful commencement ceremonies to celebrate graduates of the class of 2024.

Approximately 15,000 students in all – 10,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students – are expected to receive degrees from UCLA over the next few days.

The College of Letters and Science had three ceremonies scheduled for Friday, with an expected 2,200 graduating students attending each one.

The College of Letters and Science’s morning ceremony went off without a hitch even as media reports and social media posts reported that dozens of graduates walked out of the Luskin School of Public Affairs’ ceremony in a separate part of campus on Friday.

Actor Sean Astin, who had been invited to speak at the College of Letters and Science’s ceremony, urged the graduates to remember that while they come with different world views, they share a commonality as members of the Bruin community.

“While it’s hard to remember in any given moment because we are filled with moral outrage or political animus, we are the UCLA Bruin family. And we must not intimidate or bully each other. We must not make each other feel small or less than,” Astin said. “There has been anti-Palestinian, antisemitic, anti-intellectual, anti-free speech. There’s been simply too much anti-.”

While there were brief references to the conflict in the Middle East by various speakers, students who spoke with a reporter said their main objective on Friday was not to make a political statement but simply to celebrate their accomplishments and those of their peers.

Despite reports of a walkout at the Luskin School’s ceremony, the overall campus scene was largely celebratory, with graduating students decked out in leis, carrying bouquets of flowers, or standing in line for a chance to snap a photo next to the Bruin Statue by Bruin Plaza with their family members.

Many students said they looked forward to the next few days’ festivities, as many had missed out on experiencing a traditional graduation ceremony four years ago when their high schools canceled year-end events because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among those was Jack Hill, whose high school held a “drive through” graduation ceremony in 2020 in lieu of a traditional ceremony.

Hill, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science, has waited four years to walk the stage at a commencement ceremony and was hyped about the upcoming weekend’s festivities, which will include dozens of departmental and professional school ceremonies.

He summed up what other students had said about what this weekend means to them: “It’s all about celebration,” Hill said. “I’m excited to graduate from the No. 1 public university.”

Immediately following the College of Letters and Science’s morning commencement, Mary Osako, UCLA’s vice chancellor of strategic communications, called the ceremony “poignant and simply beautiful.”

“About 2,200 students came together in a sea of tassels, unified in their celebration of one another’s success as UCLA graduates — the absence of any disruptions illustrates our students’ unified desire to mark this moment as a sole celebration of their success,” she said in a statement.

At the start of the ceremony, the graduates and guests assembled inside Pauley Pavilion were reminded about “common rules of conduct” and urged to refrain from disrupting the ceremony.

“While we recognize and value freedom of expression at UCLA, we don’t want demonstrations to prevent the celebration of our graduates here today,” one speaker read from a prepared statement. “Students have worked hard to reach this special moment. Family and friends have traveled here to help them celebrate. We owe our graduates the best day possible.”

The Bruin community has been dealing with weeks of tension stemming from the Israel-Hamas War. In April, pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment on Royce Quad that lasted for days. The encampment was dismantled on May 2 – but not before violent clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and counterprotesters on April 30. More than 200 protesters were arrested during a police raid the following day.

And this week, about 100 demonstrators organized by the UCLA chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine converged again on campus, staging a funeral-like procession march that featured fake bloodied bodies. The protesters, who also dyed the water in a plaza fountain red, had planned to read the names of over 46,000 Palestininians who have died in the Israel-Hamas War. Monday’s demonstration ended with about 25 arrests.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, who will retire July 31, has been heavily criticized for his handling of the situation, especially the protests in late April and early May. Block was not expected to attend the College of Letters and Science’s Friday commencement ceremonies.

“He wanted to ensure that today’s spotlight is focused on our amazing students and their loved ones,” Vice Chancellor Osaka said in a statement to the Los Angeles Daily News when the university was asked why Block was not in attendance.