Students, faculty take University of Chicago to task for withholding diplomas over Gaza encampment participation
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Four University of Chicago students will walk the stage at their graduation ceremony in the Main Quad this weekend – but they will not receive diplomas.
The university is withholding their degrees due to a disciplinary process, which is in action because the students "may have been involved" in the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the Quad.
On Friday, students and faculty spoke out against the university for the decision.
The status of the affected students' diplomas remained in limbo Friday. University spokespeople only said policy and conduct investigations continue.
The students themselves said they are hopeful—but no matter what happens, their participation in the protest encampment was worth it.
"I have no regrets," said UChicago student Youssef Hasweh. "I'll do this over and over again if I have to. I will complete every credit hour again. I will do my last final, and still be told that I won't get my diploma, and still do it all over again."
Hasweh, a political science major, received a letter from the associate dean of students that said he had "received multiple complaints regarding the quad encampment that report issues related to disruptive conduct."
Hasweh disagrees, saying he did nothing outside his right to free speech—which is encouraged by the university. He was asked if he crossed a line during the protest.
"Not at all. A protest is a protest," he said, "and we were told - and from what I learned of the Chicago principles my first year - I was under the assumption I was protected."
Hasweh said the university won't detail the complaints it says are being investigated, and has not shared a timeline on the investigation.
Hasweh is one of four students in the same position. These four students are also charged with disciplinary violations after a sit-in at the university admissions lobby last year.
The students said the university dismissed those charges - and no one was arrested May 7, when University of Chicago Police officers in riot gear disbanded the encampments on campus.
Faculty members backed up the students Friday—speaking out against the university.
"They participated in what was ultimately a peaceful, beautiful educational exercise," said UChicago mathematics professor Denis Hirschfeldt.
The professors said they haven't been able to get answers about the investigations going on now either.
"We're capable of engaging with these issues in ways that involve interaction and thought and compassion and learning," said UChicago linguistics professor Chris Kennedy.
The faculty members are not alone. Sixteen Chicago alderpeople sent a letter to U of C Provost Katherine Baicker, reading in part, "(W)e strongly advise the University of Chicago to reconsider this ultimately untenable course of action."
The letter claimed the students' degrees were being withheld "without appropriate process or adequate bases in evidence" and in contradiction to the U of C's own values regarding free speech.
"First, we are disturbed to learn that the students concerned have not been explicitly linked to any particular claim or evidence, but rather, that their degrees are being withheld solely because they 'may have' been associated with matters that as yet have not been determined. It is concerning that these students were informed in an obscure manner and with short notice," the letter said.
U of C Letter by Adam Harrington on Scribd
Hasweh said despite it all, he will proudly walk across the stage on the U of C Main Quad on Saturday.
"My diploma matters. Walking that stage matters," he said, "but there are students in Gaza that will never get a diploma again and will never walk across a stage again and I will sacrifice this degree any day to walk for them."
The university declined interview requests – referring instead to a statement released earlier this week:
The recent protests on campus brought about multiple formal complaints alleging that students violated University policies, including by engaging in disruptive conduct. Members of the University community may have questions about how the process works in such cases.
The University adheres to a well-defined, faculty-led Disciplinary System for Disruptive Conduct that was developed and approved by the Council of the University Senate in 2017. It is essential that this process is followed consistently to afford due process to both complainants and respondents.
Once a formal complaint is received and, if the Disciplinary Committee faculty lead concurs that the complaint is credible, the matter may be referred to the Standing Disciplinary Committee on Disruptive Conduct to determine if policies have been violated. These processes do not involve University leaders, including the President or Provost.
When such complaints are referred to the Disciplinary Committee, degrees may be withheld until the case is resolved in order to allow a complete process. However, as with many situations, for example when certain degree requirements are still being completed, students may participate in Convocation. Degrees can be conferred expeditiously, depending upon the resolution.
The faculty and staff members who serve in established roles in this process perform an important service to the campus community. They act to ensure the consistency, fairness, and fidelity of the University's procedures, and it is important that these matters proceed accordingly.