UCLA commencement goes on amid campus tensions over protests, violence and policing (2024)

More than 15,000 UCLA graduates will receive degrees during commencement ceremonies Friday and through the weekend, capping off a tense quarter at the Westwood campus that has been the center of national controversy over campus policing, vigilante violence, pro-Palestinian protests and accusations of antisemitism.

The graduation events, which began Thursday evening with academic honors and athletics receptions, kick into high gear at 11 a.m. with the first of three ceremonies for the College of Letters and Science — the university’s largest division — that will take place through the evening at the Pauley Pavilion sports arena.

About 26,000 people in total are expected at the arena ceremonies, with thousands more at other graduation festivities.

UCLA is one of seven University of California campuses — from Davis to San Diego — celebrating commencement over the next few days. But ongoing flare-ups and controversy over pro-Palestinian protests have forced universities to put in place new security measures as they welcome tens of thousands of guests and graduates for a milestone moment of pride and accomplishment.

Roughly 70 events for undergraduate and graduate programs will span the UCLA campus through Monday.

A stream of black-gown clad students and faculty members — and their loved ones in blue-and-gold accented suits and dresses reflecting Bruin colors — streamed toward Royce Hall on Friday morning for the Luskin School of Public Affairs ceremony.

Anthony Contreras, 36, was clutching a bouquet of red roses for his girlfriend, Sarai Buruel, who is graduating with a master’s degree in social work.

“It’s so exciting,” said Contreras, who was walking with eight members of Buruel’s family. “I’ve never been to a graduation ceremony at UCLA before.” Contreras said he and family members were concerned that protest activity could disrupt her big day.

“We hear rumors about that, but hopefully not,” he said. “She’s been looking forward to this, so it would be a little disappointing.”

Several graduation ceremonies will unfold at Royce Hall, one of the oldest campus buildings, which is adjacent to the central green where a pro-Palestinian encampment went up April 25. Law enforcement arrested more than 200 activists there on May 1 after a night of mob violence against protesters.

The attack is the focus of internal and external investigations because of an hours-long delay in police response to quell the violence, a failure that led to the removal of UCLA’s then-police chief and the creation of a new Office of Campus Safety.

UCLA has faced multiple demonstrations since then as pro-Palestinian activists have demanded that the university end its financial ties to weapons companies and Israel — including two short-lived encampments. The most recent one on Monday night ended with 25 protesters under arrest and ordered to stay away from campus for two weeks.

Questions of antisemitism and anti-Muslim sentiment have also been an issue. Outgoing Chancellor Gene Block faced hostile questioning last month by a congressional committee over complaints about rising antisemitism on campus; several Jewish students have sued the university over accusations of pro-Palestinian protesters illegally restricting campus access, and the U.S. Department of Education in December announced a civil rights investigation into UCLA.

During a commencement season when protests have become the norm, UCLA officials said they are prepared for disruptions.

“While we are putting in place additional security measures to ensure commencement ceremonies proceed, it is also possible that there will be demonstrations during the events themselves,” said a statement on the UCLA website.

“If minor disruptions during ceremonies occur, our commencement speakers and leadership will approach them with patience, and we ask that you do the same. In the event of any significant interruptions, we will take appropriate action to de-escalate the situation to protect the safety of all attendees and allow the event to move forward,” the statement said.

Mary Osako, UCLA’s vice chancellor of strategic communications, said she hoped that the “beauty of this milestone moment is the main focus of these ceremonies.”

“For students, commencement is a powerful event — it’s the culmination of years of hard work. It’s also a profound moment for our graduates’ loved ones,” Osako said.

Some security changes have been made this year.

For the first time, all major commencement events will require guests to bring either clear bags or no bags. The policy has been in place for sporting events, including basketball games at Pauley Pavilion. Additional ceremony sites with clear-bag screening rules include Royce Hall, Drake Stadium, Los Angeles Tennis Center, Intramural Field and Ackerman Grand Ballroom, among other locations.

One location that has been home to pro-Palestinian protests, Kerckhoff Patio, does not appear on the commencement schedule despite being selected for several graduation events last year.

“Banners, signs, or flags” are banned, although that rule was in place last year.

The commencements at UCLA are among the last in the nation, as are those at six other UC campuses that will hold ceremonies between Friday and Tuesday.

Some of them have also put in new security procedures, as protests over the Israel-Hamas war have disrupted graduation ceremonies at other campuses, such as UC Berkeley.

A clear-bag rule is in place at UC San Diego, where the main events take place Saturday, while at UC Riverside, officials said clear bags are “preferred” for ceremonies on Monday and Tuesday.

Some universities are requiring tickets and security screenings for the first time, including UC Santa Barbara, where celebrations take place through Sunday. The campus has also expanded a list of prohibited items, including artificial noisemakers, balloons, confetti, large banners, signs, flags, backpacks, bags and luggage larger than 14 inches by 14 inches by 6 inches. Such items are also banned at several other campuses.

Officials at UC Irvine, however, said no changes are expected at its graduation ceremonies, which will be held beginning Friday at the Bren Events Center, the campus indoor arena. The Irvine center and other sports venues being used as commencement sites — Toyota Arena for UC Riverside and Golden 1 Center for UC Davis — have their own rules that will apply to students and guests. They include a list of prohibited items and conduct codes, such as no fighting, insults or vulgar speech.

Campus officials across the UC system declined to share information about whether they intend to beef up security presence and how they plan to respond to any protests that may disrupt ceremonies.

UC Berkeley, which held its commencement ceremony May 11 at California Memorial Stadium, did increase the number of law enforcement officers, said spokesman Dan Mogulof. He declined to specify how many extra officers were brought in.

At the commencement, Mogulof said, a group of 30 to 40 students among 7,700 graduates began shouting pro-Palestinian chants. The campus chose not to use law enforcement to escort them out of the venue, which Mogulof said could have proved more disruptive. Instead, the ceremony was paused for about 10 minutes while security officers asked the students to stop. The students moved to another section and continued yelling, but Mogulof said most people could still hear the commencement speakers.