(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As Northwestern prepares for graduation this weekend, the university is taking steps it hopes will head off protests during ceremonies.
Whether at the smaller convocations on campus, or the university-wide commencement at the United Center on Sunday morning, Northwestern says guests will go through metal detectors and bag searches.
Northwestern says it will hold the degrees of students found to violate its code of conduct and those who disrupt graduation ceremonies could face expulsion.
The university has designated free speech areas outside of ceremonies on campus and the main commencement at the United Center, but noise cannot disrupt the ceremony.
The list of banned items from ceremonies includes noise makers, balloons, banners, flags and handouts.
Actress and alum Kathryn Hahn is the speaker for Sunday morning’s ceremony.
Since the university reached an agreement with pro-Palestinian protesters, there have been several calls for the ousting of president Michael Schill.
The agreement allowed for students, faculty and staff to demonstrate in a designated area. The university also agreed to take a number of steps to preserve protest and debate on campus — and to protect Palestinian students.
The agreement did receive criticism, including from the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest. They said, in part, that the university “declared itself a safe space for Antisemitism.”
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