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Condoleezza Rice Backs Out Of Rutgers Speech Over Student Protests
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 3, 2014
Modified May 3, 2014
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 3, 2014
Modified May 3, 2014
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Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, was set to tell graduating Rutgers University students how bright their futures are at the school's commencement ceremony this month. But not everyone was so thrilled about getting sent off into the Real World by one of the key players in the Iraq War, and protests abounded—now, Rice has decided to turn down the invitation.
Apparently, after Rice was announced as the key speaker at the ceremony on May 18th, students and faculty members rallied to get the administration to rescind her invite. On Monday, proving millennials have a little more mettle than they're given credit for, students orchestrated a 50 person sit-in outside University President Robert Barchi's office, boasting signs with anti-war slogans like "No honors for war criminals," "War criminals out" and "RU 4 Humanity?"
Today, Rice announced she would no longer be speaking at the school. "Commencement should be a time of joyous celebration for the graduates and their families," she said in a statement. "Rutgers' invitation to me to speak has become a distraction for the university community at this very special time."
She was set to receive $35K for the speech.
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new brunswick
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