Florida Chancellor Rodrigues advises universities to ensure commencements aren’t canceled or ‘disrupted’ by activists

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Chancellor of the State University System of Florida Ray Rodrigues sent a memo to presidents of the State University System of Florida advising institutions to make sure graduation ceremonies “aren’t canceled or disrupted by activists.”

In the memo obtained by Florida’s Voice, Rodrigues said graduation ceremonies are “important milestones for our graduating students, and we owe it to our students to see to it that these ceremonies take place as planned.”

In a press release, Rodrigues said graduation ceremonies are “not a platform for disruptive political activism of any stripe, especially activism for genocidal terrorists.”

“While we respect and honor the First Amendment, a commencement ceremony is not the time nor place to hold a political protest,” Rodrigues said.

Rodrigues instructed university presidents to “take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of all attendees during the ceremony” and to “notify faculty, staff, students, and guests that protests, discrimination or harassment at commencement ceremonies will not be tolerated.”

“Thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, our universities have the statutory tools necessary to prevent the spread of antisemitism currently invading higher education across our country,” Rodrigues said.

The State University System of Florida has 12 universities and more than 430,000 students, making it the second-largest public university system in the nation, according to the release.