LAUREL, MARYLAND – MAY 15: Ivanka Trump, first daughter and adviser to President Donald Trump, makes remarks after a tour at the distribution center of Coastal Sunbelt Produce May 15, 2020 in Laurel, Maryland. Ivanka Trump and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue placed a visit to Coastal Sunbelt Produce, a participant of the new $3 Billion Purchase and Distribution Program, also known as Farmers to Families Food Box Program, in USDA’S Coronavirus Farmer Assistance Program using funding and authorities provided in the CARES Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to source food from small business farms and distribute to non-profits and faith-based groups. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (JTA) — WSU Tech, an affiliate of Wichita State University, canceled a commencement speech that was to be delivered by Ivanka Trump after protests over the choice.
In a statement released late Thursday night, the presidents of Wichita State University and WSU Tech said the commencement, which was streamed online over the weekend, would be “refocused more centrally on students,” the Wichita Eagle reported.
The announcement came after an associate professor at WSU, Jennifer Ray, circulated a letter asking the university to cancel Trump. The letter had gained 487 signatures by 11 p.m. on Thursday, according to the report.
“Ivanka Trump, obviously, represents her father’s administration as one of his closest advisors,” Ray wrote. “To many Americans, that administration has come to signify the worst of our country, particularly in its recent actions toward those peacefully protesting against racist police brutality.”
Trump wound up tweeting a recording of her commencement speech anyway, adding: “Our nation’s campuses should be bastions of free speech. Cancel culture and viewpoint discrimination are antithetical to academia. Listening to one another is important now more than ever!”
During the nine-minute recorded speech, Trump spoke about the challenges of graduating during the coronavirus crisis and reassured them about the current mass unemployment caused by the pandemic. “In my own life, I have found that my greatest personal growth has arisen from times of discomfort and uncertainty,” she said.
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