The University of Michigan is recruiting and training volunteers from among its employees for "protest and disruptions response" teams, to operate during commencement ceremonies next week.
UM administrators did not answer emails or phone calls asking what the protest and disruptions response volunteers are being trained to do by Michigan Public's publication deadline. People can sign up to volunteer at a particular school's commencement ceremony, or the larger commencements for graduate students on May 3 and undergraduates at Michigan Stadium on May 4.
University of Michigan public safety officers and Ann Arbor police officers will also be present at the ceremonies, according to the email requesting volunteers; phone calls and emails to both departments also went unanswered. It remains unknown whether the volunteers will coordinate in any way with police officers if there is a protest or disruption.
Last month, students calling for the university to divest its endowment funds from Israeli companies shut down an event honoring high-achieving University of Michigan students. A tent encampment on the U of M's Diag remains in place.
Similar protests have been happening at other universities across the country. The University of Southern California canceled its main commencement ceremony, citing security issues.
While the university did not respond by our publication deadline to Michigan Public's inquiries about utilizing non-public safety division employees for responding to protests, it has published these comments on its commencement webpage:
Campus safety and demonstrations
Every year, hundreds of university faculty and staff work hard to make commencement a wonderful experience for graduates and their families.
Commencement ceremonies have been the site of free expression and peaceful protest for decades and will likely continue to be. The University of Michigan does not attempt to prevent peaceful protests or other speech protected under the First Amendment. Many ceremonies will have a designated area for protests outside the venue.
Our goal is to limit substantial disruption, ensure safety, and support a successful and celebratory event worthy of the achievements of our extraordinary graduates.
Commencement for schools, colleges, departments, and cultural celebrations will include:
- Security screening
- Required ticket or registration at the vast majority of events
- Prohibition of banners, flags and anything that obstructs sightlines
- Staffers who will respond to disruptions, beginning with warnings and requests to respect the importance of the celebrations for our graduates and their families
Please remember: U-M is committed to free speech and freedom of expression. Deans and directors will generally be patient with lawful disruptions. If protests significantly impede the program, leadership will take steps to de-escalate and address the interruption.
The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to indicate that University of Michigan officials did not respond to our request by our publication deadline. They did send a response after the story was published. It is Michigan Public's policy not to allow sources to include comments on a story post-publication unless it involves fixing a significant factual error.
