Latest news with #CollegeDemocrats
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
After message protests Trump, Carnegie Mellon University temporarily closes The Fence
The Fence at Carnegie Mellon University has become a staple for students to display messages on campus. Whether it be advertising their organization or giving a take on current events, it has served as a way to express their speech. But in a letter to students, CMU President Farnam Jahanian said the fence is closing after a recent message protesting President Trump. The fence sits as just a white fence now in the center of the campus. No messages, no pictures, just a plain fence. This comes after "no rapists on our campus" was painted during the AI and Energy summit at Carnegie Mellon on Tuesday. CMU's administration decided to paint over it and close it until sometime next week. "It strikes me as very uncharacteristic and concerning to see that they've made the decision to censor speech on campus," said Anthony Cacciato, a CMU senior and member of the College Republicans. Cacciato said CMU has championed free speech, and this goes against it. While he didn't agree with the message, he says students had a right to say it. River Sepinuck, a junior at CMU and communications chair of the College Democrats, said it's disappointing the university is censoring students. His group met with university leadership about the fence. "Unfortunately, [Jahanian] spent most of the meeting talking down to us, which we were disappointed by. We were hoping to get some form of concrete action about the change in policies surrounding the fence," Sepinuck said. Earlier in the week, "protest the summit" was written and protected by the school with space for the students to address their concerns about Tuesday's event. In a message from the university's president, he says CMU supports peaceful protest, public dissent, and the exchange of ideas. It goes on to say that after messages equating Nazism, Zionism and Hindutva earlier this year and this latest message, the school is looking at how to move forward. "It would be a great disservice to the culture on campus and the students on campus to go back and renege on this commitment to free speech that has been a cornerstone of how Carnegie Mellon has conducted itself in the past," Cacciato said. Jahanian's letter says recent years have seen more messages disconnected from "meaningful dialogue." Cacciato said once messages are allowed back, no one should feel a chilling effect to say their thoughts. Sepinuck says there is most certainly a chilling effect moving forward. "Knowing that just by unilateral decision, that President Jahanian can say, 'I don't like and I'm going to paint over it,' it makes us more hesitant to paint on the fence," Sepinuck said. According to CMU, it looks to reaffirm the purpose of the tradition. No word on when next week messages may continue.
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Business Standard
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Donald Trump speaks to graduating students at Alabama amid protests
Trump's remarks in Tuscaloosa are the Republican president's first address to graduates in his second term and come as he has been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration AP Tuscaloosa (US) President Donald Trump was addressing graduating students at the University of Alabama on Thursday, a visit that drew hundreds of protesters to an off-campus rally. Trump's remarks in Tuscaloosa are the Republican president's first address to graduates in his second term and come as he has been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration. The previously scheduled visit came shortly after he announced a shake-up to his national security team, with Mike Waltz being tapped for United Nations ambassador and Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking over Waltz's national security adviser role on an interim basis. What a nice looking group this is, Trump said to open his speech. There's nowhere I'd rather be than Tuscaloosa. Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64 per cent of the vote in 2024, is where he has staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It is also where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies. While Trump has described the speech as a commencement address, it is actually a special event that was created before graduation ceremonies that begin Friday. Graduating students have the option of attending the event. Former Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban also spoke, regaling the audience with a story about visiting the Oval Office in 2018 during Trump's first term. Saban said Trump was a gracious host. Ahead of the president's arrival, cap-and-gown-wearing graduates and their families began filing into the arena where Trump was set to speak. Many seemed excited about the prospect of seeing him in person. Emily Appel, a 22-year-old advertising major from Norcross, Georgia, called Trump's appearance at their school a cherry on top of her college years. I think it's such an honour, no matter who the president is. I think this is a huge honour to have the president of the United States speaking to our school," Appel said. She called Trump a very influential person and said she hoped he had a message to share that was "positive about us being able to work in the real world and for our future. Sophie Best, who is graduating with a communications degree, said, I don't think that we could have had a greater person come to speak." The 21-year-old from Cartersville, Georgia, said she attended Trump's first presidential inauguration in 2017 when she was a freshman in high school, along with her father, who she said loves Trump. I think that no matter what political party or whatever you believe in, I think that it's super cool that we get to experience and make history and be a part of this, she said. At a park several miles away, hundreds of people gathered at a counter rally hosted by College Democrats. One-time presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke of Texas and former US Senator Doug Jones, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama, addressed the rally, called a Tide Against Trump a play on the university's nickname. Aidan Meyers, a 21-year-old junior studying biology at the university, said he felt betrayed by the decision to let Trump speak at a graduation-related event. I felt betrayed that the university was willing to put up with someone who has made it clear that they hate academia, essentially holding funding above universities' heads as a bargaining chip, unless they bow down to what he wants, which is kind of a hallmark sign with fascist regime, Meyers said. He said he also feels betrayed by the administration's stance on science and research. A fellowship he was seeking at the National Institutes of Health was canceled because of the federal hiring freeze, he said. O'Rourke told the rally that Trump was trying to make the students' graduation all about him, true to form. He urged students and others gathered to go out and use their voices to win America back. The power of people works in this country, even against Donald Trump, O'Rourke said. Jones told the crowd they were there not just as a protest, but as a movement. You are here today because you're concerned, you're afraid. You understand that this country's great democracy is teetering right now with what we're seeing going on, the former senator said. Ahead of the rally, O'Rourke praised the students who invited him as inspiring and said their efforts in a Republican-dominated state like Alabama are an example for the rest of the country. You cannot be too red or too rural or too Republican to be written off right now. You also can't be too blue or too liberal to be taken for granted, O'Rourke told The Associated Press after arriving in Tuscaloosa. You've got to show up absolutely everywhere. We truly are in crisis. Trump's presence has also drawn criticism from the Alabama NAACP, which said his policies are hurting universities and students, particularly students of color. Trump's visit to Alabama is his second trip this week. He held a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark 100 days in office. Outside of weekend trips for personal visits, the president has not made many official trips since taking office on January 20. He usually speaks to the public from the impromptu news conferences he holds in the Oval Office and at other events at the White House. After his stop in Alabama, Trump is scheduled to travel to Florida for a long weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Later this month, he is scheduled to give the commencement address at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
President Trump, Nick Saban address graduating students at the University of Alabama
President Donald Trump was set to address graduating students at the University of Alabama on Thursday, a visit that drew hundreds of protesters to an off-campus rally. Trump's evening remarks in Tuscaloosa will be the Republican president's first address to graduates in his second term and will come as he has been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration. The visit came shortly after he announced a shake-up to his national security team, with Mike Waltz being tapped for United Nations ambassador and Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking over Waltz's national security adviser role on an interim basis. The White House offered no details about Trump's planned message to graduates. Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he has staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It is also where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies. While Trump has described the speech as a commencement address, it is actually a special event that was created before graduation ceremonies that begin Friday. Graduating students have the option of attending the event. Former Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban is also speaking. Ahead of the president's arrival, cap-and-gown-wearing graduates and their families began filing into the arena where Trump was set to speak. Many seemed excited about the prospect of seeing him in person. Emily Appel, a 22-year-old advertising major from Norcross, Georgia, called Trump's appearance at their school 'a cherry on top' of her college years. 'I think it's such an honor, no matter who the president is. I think this is a huge honor to have the president of the United States speaking to our school,' Appel said. She called Trump a 'very influential person' and said she hoped he had a message to share that was 'positive about us being able to work in the real world and for our future.' Sophie Best, who is graduating with a communications degree, said, 'I don't think that we could have had a greater person come to speak.' TRENDING STORIES: Ex-GA school bus driver charged after multiple students attack 7-year-old during route, deputies say Griffin couple sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to trying to starve 10-year-old Atlanta HVAC technician among 19 arrested in 'child predator' operation The 21-year-old from Cartersville, Georgia, said she attended Trump's first presidential inauguration in 2017 when she was a freshman in high school, along with her father, who she said loves Trump. 'I think that no matter what political party or whatever you believe in, I think that it's super cool that we get to experience and make history and be a part of this,' she said. At a park several miles away, hundreds of people gathered at a counter rally hosted by College Democrats. One-time presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke of Texas and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama, were slated to address the rally, called a 'Tide Against Trump' — a play on the university's nickname. Aidan Meyers, a 21-year-old junior studying biology at the university, said he felt betrayed by the decision to let Trump speak at a graduation-related event. 'I felt betrayed that the university was willing to put up with someone who has made it clear that they hate academia, essentially holding funding above universities' heads as a bargaining chip, unless they bow down to what he wants, which is kind of a hallmark sign with fascist regime,' Meyers said. He said he also feels betrayed by the administration's stance on science and research. A fellowship he was seeking at the National Institutes of Health was canceled because of the federal hiring freeze, he said. Jones told the crowd they were there 'not just as a protest, but as a movement.' 'You are here today because you're concerned, you're afraid. You understand that this country's great democracy is teetering right now with what we're seeing going on,' the former senator said. He said Trump asked to come to Alabama because he mistakenly thinks, 'y'all are all my people.' 'Well, obviously they're not,' Jones told the large cheering crowd. Ahead of the rally, O'Rourke praised the students who invited him as 'inspiring' and said their efforts in a Republican-dominated state like Alabama are an example for the rest of the country. 'You cannot be too red or too rural or too Republican to be written off right now. You also can't be too blue or too liberal to be taken for granted,' O'Rourke told The Associated Press after arriving in Tuscaloosa. 'You've got to show up absolutely everywhere. We truly are in crisis.' Trump's presence has also drawn criticism from the Alabama NAACP, which said his policies are hurting universities and students, particularly students of color. Trump's visit to Alabama is his second trip this week. He held a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark 100 days in office. Outside of weekend trips for personal visits, the president has not made many official trips since taking office on Jan. 20. He usually speaks to the public from the impromptu news conferences he holds in the Oval Office and at other events at the White House. After his stop in Alabama, Trump is scheduled to travel to Florida for a long weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Later this month, he is scheduled to give the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. ___ Associated Press writer Bill Barrow contributed to this report from Atlanta.
The Hill
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump to address University of Alabama graduates
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — President Donald Trump will travel to heavily Republican Alabama on Thursday to speak to graduating students at the University of Alabama, where he is expected to draw some protesters despite enjoying a deep well of support in the state. Trump's evening remarks in Tuscaloosa will be the Republican president's first address to graduates in his second term and will come as he has been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration. The White House did not offer any details about Trump's planned message. Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he has staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It also is where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies. While the White House has described Trump's speech as a commencement address, it is actually a special event that was created before graduation ceremonies that begin Friday. Graduating students have the option of attending the event, but it is not required. Former Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban is also speaking at the event. Trump's presence has drawn criticism from the Alabama NAACP and the University of Alabama College Democrats. College Democrats are countering with their own rally calling it 'Tide Against Trump' — a play on the university's nickname. The event will feature onetime presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke of Texas and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama. The NAACP said Trump's policies are hurting universities and students, particularly students of color. 'The decision for students of color, and really all students, should be to skip his speech and spend that time reflecting on how to make America a more inclusive nation,' said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP. Trump's visit to Alabama is his second trip this week. He held a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark 100 days in office. Outside of weekend trips for personal visits, the president has not made many official trips since taking office on Jan. 20. He usually speaks to the public from the impromptu news conferences he holds in the Oval Office and at other events at the White House. After his stop in Alabama, Trump is scheduled to travel to Florida for a long weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Next month, he is scheduled to give the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
San Francisco Chronicle
01-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump will address graduating students at the University of Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — President Donald Trump will travel to heavily Republican Alabama on Thursday to speak to graduating students at the University of Alabama, where he is expected to draw some protesters despite enjoying a deep well of support in the state. Trump's evening remarks in Tuscaloosa will be the Republican president's first address to graduates in his second term and will come as he has been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration. The White House did not offer any details about Trump's planned message. Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he has staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It also is where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies. While the White House has described Trump's speech as a commencement address, it is actually a special event that was created before graduation ceremonies that begin Friday. Graduating students have the option of attending the event, but it is not required. Former Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban is also speaking at the event. Trump's presence has drawn criticism from the Alabama NAACP and the University of Alabama College Democrats. College Democrats are countering with their own rally calling it "Tide Against Trump' — a play on the university's nickname. The event will feature onetime presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke of Texas and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama. The NAACP said Trump's policies are hurting universities and students, particularly students of color. "The decision for students of color, and really all students, should be to skip his speech and spend that time reflecting on how to make America a more inclusive nation,' said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP. Trump's visit to Alabama is his second trip this week. He held a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark 100 days in office. Outside of weekend trips for personal visits, the president has not made many official trips since taking office on Jan. 20. He usually speaks to the public from the impromptu news conferences he holds in the Oval Office and at other events at the White House. ___ Price reported from New York.
