Seattle, WA
Seattle Pacific University students hand president pride flags instead of shaking his hand at graduation
The demonstration was in response to a coverage that forestalls SPU from hiring LGBTQ+ instructors.
SEATTLE — Some graduating college students at Seattle Pacific College’s (SPU) graduation ceremony selected handy the varsity’s president delight flags as an alternative of shaking his hand on Sunday.
The demonstration was in response to a coverage that SPU’s Board of Trustees just lately voted to uphold that forestalls the varsity from using LGBTQ+ employees members. The college’s worker conduct expectations require workers to chorus from same-sex sexual exercise, extramarital intercourse and cohabitating earlier than marriage.
College students at SPU have been protesting the board’s choice for weeks, together with a sit-in outdoors the college president’s workplace that has been ongoing since Could 24. Some graduating seniors determined they needed to make one final assertion concerning the coverage as they walked throughout the stage.
“A whole lot of us expressed that we did not actually need to shake the president’s hand,” mentioned SPU scholar Chloe Guillot. “So one of many concepts that got here up is ‘what if we simply handed him delight flags as an alternative of extending our hand, after which we took our levels?’”
Round 50 graduating college students got delight flags to stroll throughout the stage, and round 45 of them handed the president the flag as an alternative of shaking his hand. Guillot mentioned the demonstration represents the graduating class’ dedication to reaching lasting change on the college.
“We simply needed to have a really visible show at commencement of how our neighborhood remains to be persevering with to battle in opposition to these insurance policies at SPU,” Guillot mentioned. “Simply because we’re graduating does not imply we will overlook or cease preventing.”
College students plan to proceed the sit-in in entrance of the president’s workplace by means of at the least July 1, which can also be the deadline organizers gave the board to re-evaluate their choice. After that, Guillot mentioned college students will pursue authorized motion.
“[SPU] did train us college students to face up for what we consider in and so I feel that doing an indication at commencement is a good encapsulation of what we have been taught right here, and we’re placing it into motion,” Guillot mentioned.
In a press release, SPU Interim President Pete Menjares mentioned: “It was a beautiful day to have fun with our graduates. Those that took the time to offer me a flag confirmed me how they felt and I respect their view.”
