Posted on 03/17/2021 8:10:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
When I first heard about Columbia University’s “segregated graduations,” I immediately thought it was just one more example of the woke segregation too often championed by proponents of Marxist critical race theory. After all, black students at New York University recently demanded segregated housing — although the university didn’t agree. Separate graduations for different identity groups seems horrifyingly plausible these days.
On further investigation, however, I found that the story wasn’t quite the outrage I thought it was. Columbia University had simply used unclear language that left the wrong impression about its graduation events.
Fox News reported that Columbia University’s undergraduate colleges would host no fewer than six separate graduation ceremonies based on race, class, and LGBT identity. Fox reached out to the university for comment, but the university did not respond by press time.
After Fox News’ story went viral, however, Columbia finally deigned to clarify the situation.
“Reports today and previous tweets misrepresent our multicultural graduation celebrations, which exist in addition to, not instead of, University-wide commencement and individual school Class Days,” Columbia University clarified on Twitter. “These events are important, intimate and welcoming spaces for students aligned with these groups to come together to celebrate their achievements if they wish. They are organized in tandem with students and student groups.”
Columbia explained that “these celebrations evolved from ceremonies originally created by students and alumni. They are open to every student. They are voluntary. And they have become a highly anticipated and valuable part of the Columbia graduation experience.”
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
“Columbia marks graduation every spring with a university-wide Commencement ceremony and Class Days for the graduates of each of our schools. These events bringing together all of our graduates and their families are a high point of every academic year,” the spokesperson said. “The smaller celebratory events held for particular communities are in addition to, not instead of, the main Commencement and Class Day graduation ceremonies.”
To be fair to Fox News, Columbia University’s website fostered this misconception by referring to the celebrations as “graduations.” A page entitled “Multicultural Graduation Ceremonies: Graduate Registration” lists these events:
That page is also the first result for a search for “graduation” on Columbia’s website. Only a deeper dive on the website would allow the casual browser access to “Class Day” pages with information on the main graduation ceremony for each college.
Confusion about these events allowed conservatives to explain the threats of Marxist critical race theory.
“FLI Graduation”
FLI? Does that stand for Fag liberal idiot?
I could attend 3 of the 6 graduations. 3 parties.
I sure don’t hold Ivy League degrees with the same regard as I did in the past.
And seating on buses will be on a skin tone-graduated scale with the darkest skin tones at front and lightest at the rear. Seating must be re-jiggled after each stop. And each city bus must have an official seat re-jiggler on board before it can leave the station.
They just want to separate majors in subjects that require academic rigor versus fluff subjects of no intrinsic value that only teach students to be perpetually angry
This is a case of backtracking on Columbias part.
Black graduation is last because otherwise they wreck things for everyone else. Makes sense to me.
It seems to be what they do.
My take-away from that listing is that only the Asian students can be expected to be up and around at 10 a.m.
All the others - late afternoon/early evening.
Draw your own conclusions...
The events are separate but equal.
“open to every student who wants to participate”
Some white male superstraight please please test this
OK, but what is the rest of the story? Was that a demand by most of the black students, or by a couple of dozen out of thousands? One can't be ignored; the other should be.
Once again, no special event for those who self identify as broccoli.
broccoli rights matter.
I'm sorry but this is complete BS and everyone knows it no matter how they explain it. How about we have a Caucasian graduation for students aligned with that group?
Native Graduation: Sunday, April 25 at 4:00 p.m. EDT
Asian Graduation: Tuesday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
Latinx Graduation: Thursday, April 29 at 6:00 p.m. EDT
Black Graduation: Friday, April 30 at 4:00 p.m. EDT
Geez. what skin color group is missing here? How is Columbia not being white inferiorist. How is this still not an "outrage".
What ever happened to discrimination by the color of one's skin being bad?
Thanx for this
These are additional celebrations besides “Commencement” and Class Days.
They’ve been doing this since at least 2017.
This year they added FLI - pronounced FLY(”F”irst generation,”L”ow “I”ncome).
I haven’t been able to find “why” all these have been added or exactly when,
Just a WAG here...Maybe a compromise - Harvard allows segregated graduations and Columbia students wanted ‘em also ?
seems to be a big deal
https://www.qwant.com/?q=First-generation%20and/or%20low%20income%20community&t=web
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