Graduates at Florida university turn backs in protest of DeVos speech
Source: Reuters
Wed May 10, 2017 | 3:10pm EDT
By Bernie Woodall
Graduating seniors at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida turned their backs in protest of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at the start of her commencement speech on Wednesday at the historically black institution.
Boos and jeers could be heard as DeVos, who drew ire in February when she said historically black colleges were "pioneers" of educational choice, was introduced. Faculty and school administrators on stage stood and applauded. Live video of the ceremony in Daytona Beach showed many graduates facing away from DeVos, though it was not clear how many of the approximately 300 seniors participated in the silent protest.
"One of the hallmarks of higher education and of democracy is the ability to converse with and learn from those with whom we disagree," DeVos told the graduates.
The university's president, Edison Jackson, interrupted her speech with a warning to students. "If this behavior continues, your degrees will be mailed to you," he said. "Choose which way you want to go."
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-education-devos-idUSKBN18625L
Initech
(100,139 posts)old guy
(3,284 posts)A diploma is a diploma. Weak threat that.
Eyeball_Kid
(7,440 posts)I still completed the programs, still have my credentials.
DinahMoeHum
(21,829 posts). . .and get cooties in the process.
OrwellwasRight
(5,170 posts)<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">1 retweet = 10 boos<br>1 favorite = 1 boo <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BackstoBetsy?src=hash">#BackstoBetsy</a> <a href="https://t.co/E0BrLNLnzh">pic.twitter.com/E0BrLNLnzh</a></p> People For Bernie (@People4Bernie) <a href="
Link to tweet
">May 10, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Blue Idaho
(5,067 posts)And the faculty that taught them to speak their minds when confronted with uncomfortable truths. The Colleges Administration and Betsy Blackwater DeVos can go fuck themselves.
llmart
(15,566 posts)DeVos and her whole f***ing family need to slink away. Those of us who live in Michigan know all about the Scamway family.
No one deserves those boos and back turnings more than she does. She is NOT a friend of education.
I am proud of those students - very proud! The country doesn't need any more sheep.
LuckyLib
(6,822 posts)All of the talented folks out there, famous or otherwise, and she is what they come up with?
not fooled
(5,805 posts)thought that by inviting DeVoid they would curry favor with the dump admin/RW forces to their benefit, they are too stupid to be administrators at an institution of higher learning.
The RW wants to get rid of higher education except for the elite.
How dumb can you get?
Good for the protesting students.
geretogo
(1,281 posts)like choice to me .