CNN
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Graduates at the New College of Florida will hold an alternative commencement ceremony Thursday evening in protest of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ conservative takeover of the college.
The alternative ceremony will be a private event, students say, held at an undisclosed location in Sarasota, where the school is based. The small liberal arts college has been known to offer a welcoming environment to LGBTQ students.
New College graduates told CNN they wanted a ceremony where they could have freedom of expression and feel celebrated without the influence of the college’s conservative leadership. Some also rejected the college’s decision to tap Dr. Scott Atlas, a former Covid-19 adviser to President Donald Trump, to deliver the keynote speech at the official graduation set for Friday.
Maya Wiley, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, will speak at the alternative ceremony Thursday.
“I am honored to be joining you to celebrate your academic achievements & your bravery,” Wiley said in a Twitter post. “You speak your truth to power & fight for freedom to learn & diversity. You’re the future!”
Madison Markham, who helped organize the alternative ceremony with classmate KC Casey, said she is concerned that speakers at the official graduation may make remarks that could be disrespectful or condescending to students and their identities. The alternative ceremony, she said, is meant to make students feel safe.
“I was excited because I know whether or not I go to the real graduation, I get a night where I feel celebrated and respected,” Markham said. “I get to be around the faculty, and other students and family and friends that really make New College what it is and understand and respect the culture.”
Markham said she also objects to having Atlas speak after he pushed controversial narratives about the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Atlas advocated for herd immunity and discouraged testing, masks and lockdowns.
Markham said both of her grandparents died from Covid-19.
“It felt like an insult seeing that that was our commencement speaker because that (her grandparents’ death) really devastated me,” Markham said.
Markham said while the majority of graduates have confirmed attendance at the alternative ceremony, it’s unclear how many will attend the official graduation.
Earlier this year, DeSantis replaced six of the 13 members on the college’s board of trustees with conservative allies who forced out the college’s former president and appointed DeSantis’ ally, Richard Corcoran, as interim president. The reshaped board voted in February to abolish diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which included eliminating the college’s Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence.
DeSantis signed a bill this week to defund diversity, equity and inclusion programs at all state universities, which he called a “distraction from the core mission.”
