Commencement ceremonies began at colleges and universities across the US this weekend, while administrators continue to grapple with major protests on campus.
Demands vary, but most of the demonstrators are calling for their schools to divest from companies and other entities that they say support or benefit from Israel's war in Gaza.
Here are some of the scenes that played out across the country Saturday and Sunday:
- University of Southern California: Police cleared a pro-Palestinian protest encampment USC without making any arrests Sunday, the school said in a statement. It was the second time the school dismantled an encampment at the Los Angeles university. School President Carol Folt said in a statement that the protesters had chosen to "break the law" and that encampments won't be tolerated on campus.
- DePaul University: Chicago police were called on campus at DePaul University to help manage a large demonstration Sunday, the school said. CNN video showed large crowds of police, protesters and counter-protesters, but no obvious signs of violence or vandalism as of early evening at the school.
- University of California, Los Angeles: UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block said Sunday that "urgent changes" were needed with the school's safety operations after violence during recent protests on campus. The university also said it would resume regular operations Monday, and plans to hold some in-person instruction through the rest of the week.
- Art Institute of Chicago: Police said they arrested 68 people, including students from the affiliated School of the Art Institute of Chicago, during a demonstration at the museum Saturday. An institute spokesperson said protesters had “shoved a security officer and stole their keys to the museum, blocked emergency exits, and barricaded gates,” and that demonstrators had refused an offer to move to a new location.
- The University of Michigan: Pro-Palestinian protesters were removed from the university's main commencement ceremony in Ann Arbor on Saturday after briefly interrupting the proceedings. No one was arrested, according to the university's deputy police chief. A protest also disrupted a smaller ceremony on the campus Friday.
- The University of Virginia: Police cleared out pro-Palestinian protesters and took down tents near the center of the Charlottesville campus on Saturday. A line of officers in riot gear approached the group of protesters Saturday afternoon, grabbing away umbrellas and tossing them aside, before pushing forward to a line of tents and canopies, video from CNN affiliate WVIR showed. UVA said 25 people were arrested for trespassing.
