On May 14, 2025, New York University (NYU) spokesperson John Beckman announced that the university would withhold the diploma of Logan Rozos, a student at the university’s Gallatin School, in connection with comments about the situation in Gaza that Rozos made during a graduation ceremony speech.
Rozos, an actor who studied cultural criticism and political economy at NYU’s Gallatin School, was the student speaker at the school’s graduation ceremony. Rozos’s speech lasted for about three minutes. During it, he dedicated four sentences to the situation in Gaza, saying, “my moral and political commitments guide me to say that the only thing that is appropriate to say in this time and to a group this large is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine. I want to say that the genocide currently occurring is supported politically and militarily by the United States, is paid for by our tax dollars, and has been livestreamed to our phones for the past 18 months…I want to say that I condemn this genocide and complicity in this genocide.”
Following the speech, a social media account EndJewHatred posted a video of Rozos’s remarks, accusing NYU of hosting a speaker who allegedly made many present at the graduation feel “unsafe.” The anonymous account demanded that NYU condemn the speech and revoke Rozos’s diploma. A few hours later, Beckman released a statement doing exactly that. The spokesperson accused Rozos of lying about his planned remarks and stating that the school would withhold his diploma while pursuing disciplinary actions against him.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about a university censoring dialogue on contested issues and pursuing disciplinary action against a student for nonviolent expression. Academic freedom, freedom of expression, and protest are all central to the educational mission and the peaceful exchange of ideas, and protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. While invited speakers may not have a right to the podium, once invited they should not be censored or disciplined for their peaceful expression of views, even if controversial. An institution sanctioning an individual for such expression, particularly to placate third parties, violates these rights and undermines academic freedom and democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/05/16/logan-rozos-nyu-commencement-palestine-speech/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/nyregion/nyu-commencement-speaker-pro-palestinian-diploma.html
https://nyunews.com/news/2025/05/16/gallatin-student-speaker-diploma-withheld/
https://mesana.org/advocacy/committee-on-academic-freedom/2025/05/19/letter-to-new-york-university-concerning-its-decision-to-withhold-the-degree-of-graduating-senior-logan-rozos-and-initiate-disciplinary-proceedings-against-him
https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2025/may/statement-by-nyu-spokesperson-john-beckman.html