The Graduate Student Council (GSC) voted unanimously to approve the Joint Resolution Calling for the Reinstatement of Student Speakers and Departmental Commencement Ceremonies, which would reinstate student speakers at departmental commencement ceremonies, at its Thursday meeting.

Turner Van Slyke ’28, Gauri Kathula ’29 and Georgia Allen ’28 presented on behalf of Education and Democracy United (EDU) in response to a decision made earlier this year to remove student speakers from departmental commencement ceremonies. EDU claimed that the University made the decision without any prior consultation with students or faculty.

The presenters argued that commencement ceremonies recognize student achievement and growth, and that student speeches reflect the lived Stanford experience.  

“The removal of the opportunity [for students to speak at commencement] limits student speech and contradicts Stanford’s commitment to freedom,” Kathula said. 

The presentation also cited the University’s Statement on Freedom of Expression, which pledges to promote “the widest possible freedom of expression.”

They further stated that disagreement within the student community regarding the contents of a speech does not equate to violence, and that political speech is not harassment.

In summary, they argued that failing to challenge this stance would continue a broader trend of restricting free speech in higher education. Van Slyke expressed a desire to see a campus with mutual respect between governing bodies and students.

The EDU presenters asked for support for the bill, which would reinstate student speakers at commencement ceremonies for the Department of Humanities and Sciences’ graduate and undergraduate programs