A video from Seattle University's commencement ceremony last weekend has drawn wide attention after it showed the school's provost taking a flag from a graduating student's hand on stage and then walking her away. The footage, recorded as students crossed the stage to be recognized, has circulated widely and prompted criticism from some of those who attended. The student had brought a Palestinian flag with her as she walked across the stage.
Graduates who were present described the moment in detail. As the student moved to hold the flag for a photo, the provost began grabbing her arm, according to their account, and repeatedly took the flag back as she tried to keep hold of it. The exchange ended when she pulled her arm away and waved the flag as she walked off the stage. The student, who graduated summa cum laude, became the focus of the clip.
The video has since been viewed more than a million times on Instagram and TikTok. For some of the graduates, the scene became one of their final memories of their time on campus. They said the way it unfolded, in front of friends and family in a packed venue, felt degrading, and several said the student deserved a direct apology from the provost.
The provost, Shane Martin, addressed the incident in a written statement. He said it is the school's tradition for the provost to shake hands with graduates as they cross the stage, and that he respects the wishes of students who do not want physical contact. He apologized, saying he had misunderstood the moment and believed the student wished to avoid physical contact as part of her Muslim faith.
The university also responded to the episode. In its statement, it said there are guidelines covering what can be displayed on stage in order to keep the ceremony to its intended format, and that items not aligned with the on-stage activities are not permitted. The institution pointed to those guidelines in explaining how it manages the commencement program.
For the graduates who spoke about it afterward, the episode left a sour note on an otherwise meaningful day. One said it was sad to leave on that note, adding that they still loved the school but found it disheartening to see the provost act that way at the ceremony. Both the provost and the university issued statements addressing what happened, leaving graduates to weigh the explanations against what they had witnessed.