NYU introduced new culture, identity and faith-based graduation ceremonies titled “Community Celebrations,” taking an unspecified “different approach” to traditional end-of-year events — two weeks after the university faced backlash for canceling 13 convocations held by affinity groups.
Students who campaigned against the cancellations announced that “celebrations are now set to run” in a text blast to community members who RSVPe’d to a discussion on the issue. Sariah Vaioleti, whose club’s graduation was among those cancelled, told WSN that administrators said the ceremonies will be held under “new conditions,” but were vague on what that entails.
“We are announcing the expanded series of End-of-Year Student Life Celebrations that will be universal and inclusive, and will encompass many of the moments and elements our graduates hold dear,” NYU spokesperson Wiley Norvell wrote in a statement to WSN. “There is considerable work and planning ahead, and the university looks forward to partnering with students to bring these events forward for the community to enjoy.”
Norvell added that administrators met with student groups and leaders, including those from the Student Government Assembly, to discuss these graduate celebrations and hear feedback about the situation. Vaioleti, president of the Native American and Indigenous Student Group, said that students were “not told about ‘new conditions’” that the university set, but were informed that the “protocol and procedures of last year” will be allowed.
“If that is not the case, NYU again is lying to its administrative bodies that they are telling to inform the students,” Vaioleti told WSN. “I would again be angry at this cowardly administration who refuses to tell their students to their face what they are doing to them — from what I have been informed, that there should be no new conditions.”
In a Feb. 20 meeting with students, NYU canceled graduation ceremonies held by its Black, LGBTQ+ and Latine groups, among 10 others, citing the “current political climate.” A few days later, student leaders launched an Instagram campaign called “Our Stories, Our Stage” condemning the cancellation, including a petition that garnered over 1,000 signatures. The students will also host a town hall event — announced before the decision to hold cultural celebrations — Wednesday evening to discuss the “latest news.”
Last week, a group of student senators brought forward a resolution claiming that NYU administrators skipped key procedural steps when they canceled affinity graduation celebrations. They proposed that the ceremonies be reinstated unless their cancellation is approved by the University Senate, which is responsible for determining the “time, place and manner of the commencement exercises.”
“Taking away these community celebrations is not something that affects the class of 2026, it literally affects every single class that NYU will ever graduate,” Vaioleti said. “We know that this is not the end of the movement. This is proof of our power.”
Contact Natalie Deoragh and Eva Mundo at [email protected].