After a tumultuous year, Penn finishes with a routine commencement

Marking the end of a tumultuous year, the University of Pennsylvania celebrated its 268th commencement on Monday, awarding degrees to about 6,000 students with no disruption or protests inside Franklin Field.

“It’s been a hard year for the world and for Penn,” J. Larry Jameson, interim president, began his remarks to the thousands in attendance. “But there’s also plenty of joy and we’re feeling it today.”

For Penn — which saw the resignation of its former president and board chair in December over the school’s handling of antisemitism complaints and a 16-day pro-Palestinian encampment on campus that ended in arrests and a disbanding by police — the peaceful celebration was welcome.

» READ MORE: Philly Police have cleared Penn’s Pro-Palestinian encampment and arrested 33 protesters

As students filed into Franklin Field, many hopped out of the procession to wave gleefully at family members high in the stands, or snap group photos with classmates. The air was one of celebration as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and shone over the iconic outdoor stadium.

But also hanging over the festivities was the knowledge that in the weeks leading to the end of the semester, Penn’s campus was rocked by student protests over Israel’s war in Gaza.

Private security guards were posted heavily throughout the sports complex before and during the event, patrolling the track area behind the student section and flanking the sea of students on either side. That was in addition to a strong showing of university police officers outside the stadium’s gates.

An announcer warned before the ceremony started that security would engage any individuals causing disruption and if the disruption were to continue, they would be escorted out.

But that didn’t happen, unlike at some other universities’ commencements this month.

At New York University last week, some pro-Palestinian supporters walked out of commencement ceremonies at Yankee Stadium. Earlier last week, dozens of students left Duke University’s commencement, some shouting “free Palestine” in protest of commencement speaker Jerry Seinfeld, who has been supportive of Israel.

Penn on Sunday evening barred three seniors who have been placed on mandatory temporary leave for their involvement in the encampment from entering the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences.

» READ MORE: 3 Penn student protesters involved in pro-Palestinian encampments were denied entrance to Arts & Sciences commencement

Penn in a statement Sunday evening said that the cases of the three graduating seniors who have been placed on mandatory temporary leave have been expedited through the disciplinary process and that letters notifying the students of the findings were delivered on Friday.

“Because the students have not yet responded to the letters to resolve their cases, they remain on mandatory temporary leave and were not permitted to participate in the College of Arts and Sciences graduation ceremony this evening,” the university said.

On Monday, some students showed support for Gazans in subtler ways.

Anooshey I., a Penn senior who asked to abbreviate her last name for concerns over doxxing, said she wore the traditional Middle Eastern keffiyeh draped over her graduation robes to “show solidarity” with protesters.

”I truly admired the people who stayed at the encampment and stood their ground,” the senior said.

Anooshey said she thought the encampment was harmless, and that she disapproved of the way that Penn handled its disbanding — as well as the decision to prevent several protesting students from participating in graduation events this weekend.

”I was disappointed,” she said. “I would love for the encampment to still be here, even though it’s my graduation. I can still graduate. There are bigger things in the world.”

It was Jameson’s first commencement address as leader of the 28,711-student university. Jameson, formerly executive vice president of the health system and dean of the medical school, stepped in as interim president following the resignation of Liz Magill in December. Magill resigned after a bipartisan backlash over her congressional testimony about the handling of antisemitism complaints on campus.

For Penn, the controversy stems back to the Palestine Writes Literary Festival, which was held on campus in September. Critics faulted the festival for including speakers who have a history of making antisemitic remarks. Deep-pocketed donors were among alumni who complained and called for Magill and former board chair Scott L. Bok to resign.

Tensions were inflamed even further following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military response in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian faculty and students held protests on campus and in late April erected an encampment on the College Green.

» READ MORE: Pro-Palestinian encampment rises at Penn as students and faculty protest over war in Gaza

Over the next two weeks, protesters and counter protesters clashed, while Penn faced criticism from all sides. Some blamed the school for not dismantling the encampment; others chastised it for not supporting student protesters and their right to free speech.

University police, backed by city police, ultimately moved in early on the morning of May 10 and dismantled the encampment, arresting 33 people, nine of them students. School leaders cited “threatening, loud, and discriminatory speech and behavior,” an expansion of the encampment and vandalism as reasons.

Protesters tried to take over a building at Penn Friday night but were quickly thwarted. An encampment was erected at Drexel University over the weekend.

Stephen Goff, who was attending commencement to watch his granddaughter graduate, commended the university for disbanding the encampment.

”I wish they had started a little earlier,” said Goff, a graduate of Penn’s Class of 1962 and former managing director of the university’s Annenberg Center.

Goff was particularly upset that the encampment had ruined the opportunity for some Penn students to celebrate end-of-year festivities on the campus’s revered Locust Walk.

“I just don’t understand,” Goff said. “Whatever side you’re for, you’re not accomplishing anything, in my mind. What do you expect to do? Don’t just get out there and yell for whatever reason.”

» READ MORE: Pro-Palestinian encampment rises at Penn as students and faculty protest over war in Gaza

Penn tightened security for commencement and went forward with it.

Addressing the graduates, the Rev. Charles L. (Chaz) Howard, university chaplain and vice president for Social Equity & Community, said he had been asked several times over the last few weeks if Penn would cancel commencement.

“There’s a lot of fear in the world right now, not unjustifiably so,” he said. “War is frightening and heartbreaking. Our climate crisis is frightening. We’re not that far beyond the pandemic. That was scary ... But living in fear, that’s no way to live.”

Don’t let fear, he told graduates, “keep you from being your best selves ... Don’t let fear keep you from celebrating the special moments in life.

”I’m glad we got to celebrate you all and have our ceremony today.”