SALT LAKE CITY — Despite recent on-campus protests that led to the arrests of nearly two dozen people, the University of Utah believes they will provide a safe and secure environment for this week's graduation festivities.
Around 9,000 graduates are expected to take part in the school's big ceremony Thursday at the Huntsman Center, along with smaller convocations for individual colleges.
Security is expected to be heightened for all ceremonies after pro-Palestinian protesters spurred a large police presence Monday night when those involved disobeyed campus rules. What started as a peaceful protest ended with police arresting 19 people, only four of which were actual students at the university.
"We want to keep people safe, but we also want to prevent disruptions to the ceremony, and so we have plans in place that would watch out for that," said university spokesperson Chris Nelson.
The school would not detail specific information on how much extra security will be provided.
"We want to have enough officers and security here just to make sure people are safe and to avoid disruption," Nelson added.
University of Utah graduations are no stranger to protests, including having students turn their backs on a guest speaker. Nelson said those sorts of protests are appropriate forms of dissent and not something the university will crack down on.
"What we'd be looking for is any disruption of the event itself," he said. "Because again, we want to keep this focused on the graduates and their families.
"And again, we're optimistic that everyone kind of shares that goal as well."
Students and families attending graduation ceremonies are being told to leave bags and banners at home, treating the event like a school football or basketball game.
