'A lot of uncertainty:' USF graduation weekend comes on the heels of pro-Palestinian protests
TAMPA - Thousands of students will graduate from USF this weekend.
Graduation ceremonies are being held from Thursday evening through Saturday evening, with more than 7,000 students scheduled to walk across the stage.
Graduation weekend follows three days of pro-Palestinian protests on and off USF’s campus. Some of the protests have become tense, and even turned volatile.
RELATED: 10 protesters identified after arrests at USF pro-Palestinian rally
A total of 13 people have been arrested as a result of the protests. On Tuesday, a protest near the MLK Plaza on campus ended when law enforcement deployed tear gas after saying protesters refused orders to disperse.
On Wednesday, demonstrators held a protest at the corner of Fowler Ave. and 56th St., which ended near MLK Plaza on USF’s campus, but the protest remained peaceful.
As some students prepare for graduation, they say the recent protests have been in the back of their minds.
"A couple days ago, when everything that’s been going on, it’s kind of been on my mind a little bit, because you don’t really know what’s going on," Juan Coronel, a senior said. "There’s a lot of uncertainty."
Juan Coronel, a senior at USF, says he’s been looking forward to this moment for the last several years.
"I just want to enjoy with my family, and I know the rest of the students also want to do it, so everybody just wants to be around their family, around their people and enjoy the moment," Coronel said. "It’s a once in a lifetime type of moment."
Ahead of the weekend, the university shared the following statement regarding law enforcement presence on campus and safety during graduation ceremonies:
"The safety of the university community and campus visitors is our highest priority. USF always has security measures in place during our commencement ceremonies to help provide a safe environment for our graduates and their families to celebrate this important milestone. Police are on site for each ceremony, and all individuals entering the Yuengling Center are subject to bag check and metal detector screening. There is a heightened law enforcement presence on campus this week, including for our commencement ceremonies.
All graduates have been reminded that the USF Student Code of Conduct remains in effect throughout the ceremonies and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.
Anyone who disrupts, distracts, or otherwise interferes with the ceremony will be subject to removal from the event."
On Thursday, CAIR-FL held a news conference in response to the recent protests. A USF student who was involved in one of the protests and an instructor at USF also spoke at the news conference. They voiced their frustrations with the university and its response to the recent protests.
"I’m outraged that the USF president and staff has not put forth a message in support of Muslim students, or in support of Muslim staff," Dr. Shahd Alasaly, a sociology instructor at USF, said. "Soon after October 7, a message was sent out in support of Israeli students, directly putting Palestinian students at risk."
SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter
Mohammad Mubarak, an attorney in Hillsborough County, also voiced concerns about the handling of the recent protests at USF, and the statement university staff put out ahead of graduation.
"USF has been trying to get ahead of this," Mubarak said. "That’s what they’re trying to do. They sent that statement out. They sent a statement out about no tents on x-y-z. Trying they’re arbitrarily applying the law, and that’s the issue here. They’re arbitrarily saying, at 5 p.m., you can’t be here anymore."
WATCH FOX 13 NEWS
