I'm sorry but the decision to cancel the commencement ceremony, purportedly due to apprehensions regarding potential disruptions directed towards the president and board of trustees can only be characterized as egregiously selfish. The President and the Board need to understand that this is not about them. This is about students who worked their butts off to get the degree and have their families watch them graduate. If Shafik really cared about her students and what leadership entails, she'd allow commencement to continue.

The fact that students never even received an email (and still haven't btw) about this or any input in the matter whatsoever is ridiculous and is representative of the school's severe lack of communication in recent weeks. And there's zero benefit from this decision. Congress was never going to be satisfied by any action Shafik took. It was better for her to at least stand with her students on something. Now, You've not only angered the protestors on both sides but also angered graduating students and their families.

I'm not even a graduating student, but it is clear to me that the recurrent decision-making exhibited by the institution has consistently evinced incompetence. I feel sorry for those who are graduating.