New College of Florida commencement speaker Joe Ricketts was not met with the warmest welcome.
As he was called to speak at the May 17 ceremony, a and boos flooded the Historic Ringling Mansion. Throughout his speech, laughter could be heard from the crowd and, at one point, a 鈥淔ree Palestine鈥� chant broke out.
Now, the students who took part could be punished.
In an op-ed published by the , New College President Richard Corcoran said the school posted etiquette expectations before graduation. They included 鈥渄emonstrating respect for fellow graduates, guests, and speakers.鈥�
He added that the school deployed "law enforcement and surveillance to ensure that disruptions wouldn鈥檛 overshadow the event鈥檚 significance."
In an email to WUSF, New College spokesman Nathan March said five of the graduates were caught on camera and identified. A sixth was identified and cited on Wednesday.
Corcoran said unless those students write an apology letter or take a mandatory civil discourse class, they could have their degrees withheld or face suspension or expulsion.
"Going after their academic credentials they've earned, I think there's nothing that one would do other than say cheating or plagiarism, those are things that would make sense to question their degree,鈥� said Brian Cody, a former New College student body president and board member of the , which supports New College students.
鈥淏ut anything else? I just can't understand why the school would do that. That's unprecedented."
Ricketts is the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade. He at New College in January.
In 2019, were leaked that contained racist and Islamophobic views.
Cody said, for the , students were not happy with President Richard Corcoran's choice of a commencement speaker.
"Last year, the President of the college brought in Scott Atlas, who was sort of Trump's COVID advisor,鈥� Cody said, 鈥淚t felt like a political choice, not one that was about the graduate, and so this felt like a continuation (of that.)"
New College posted etiquette expectations before graduation. They included 鈥渄emonstrating respect for fellow graduates, guests, and speakers.鈥�
鈥淲e support and protect the right of free speech while resolutely insisting upon civil discourse,鈥� said a New College posted a week after the ceremony. 鈥淒isruptive activities by a few individuals at a ceremonial event attended by hundreds is not representative of either of these principles.鈥�
But Cody there was not a disruption, at least compared to what at around the country.
鈥淚 think there were reactions,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd the same way people might clap, people would boo. And so there was a mix of that.鈥�
You can read a transcript of Ricketts鈥� speech by .
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