SC State Board addresses commencement speaker controversy after Evette removal

11 articles · Updated · WIS News 10 · Apr 30

At Thursday's Orangeburg meeting, chairman Douglas Gantt said he directed staff to invite and then drop Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette before the May 8 ceremony.
The university cited student protests and safety concerns after backlash over choosing the Republican gubernatorial candidate to speak at South Carolina's only publicly funded historically Black university.
Evette said she was invited in December and defended calling protesters a "woke mob", while no replacement speaker has been named and Freedom Caucus lawmakers have reportedly urged defunding the school.

When student protests lead to defunding threats, where is the line between ensuring campus safety and censorship?

Facing defunding threats, can a historic university's leaders protect both student voices and the institution's future?

What does this commencement clash reveal about the financial pressures facing America's historic Black colleges?