As pro-Palestine demonstrations, counter-demonstrations and police actions roiled university campuses across the country, things were pretty quiet at the University of Maine commencement Saturday morning.
The only visible protester of the current U.S. and Israeli policy in Gaza was graduating senior Declan Riorden of Bangor.
Wearing a Palestinian shawl representing the war-torn country’s fields, fishing and trade routes, Riorden said he was protesting in support of the Palestinian people and for accountability from this country.
Nearly 2,800 students received diplomas from the university, while more than 2,100 of them participated in the two commencement ceremonies Saturday. It was one of several graduations around the state this weekend.
“I want to show solidarity for Palestine,” Riorden said as he looked for his place in line before marching into the commencement ceremony in Alfond Arena Saturday morning. “Look at what is going on across the country now with the level of police brutality and lack of support from universities.”
Describing himself as “pro-Palestine and anti-Zionist,” Riorden said the current war has roots going back far longer than last fall’s Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds more taken hostage.
“I hear about October 7 so much,” Riorden said. “But what about every day of the 75-year siege of Gaza?”
Universities including Columbia, branches of the University of California, Yale University, Harvard University and University of Connecticut have experienced student protests in the past weeks.
Students have set up tent cities, taken over campus buildings, demonstrated in support of Palestine and called for institutions to divest all Israel-related investments.
About 30 UMaine students held a peaceful demonstration on campus last week, according to Riorden.
The demonstrators — including himself — are not anti-Semitic or terrorists as they are being depicted by some media accounts, Riorden said.
“All we want to do is show our support for Palestine,” he said as he joined his Class of 2024 classmates marching into Alfond Arena.
Once inside, the eight commencement speakers had plenty to say about the challenges the students faced over the past four years, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no mention of the current war in Gaza.
“During your time here, the whole world, including this university, had to figure out how to configure,” UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said. “You made a decision to come to this campus during COVID amid much uncertainty [and] you changed this campus by being here — in a good way.”
Brigadier General and former UMaine faculty member Diane Dunne was the morning commencement speaker.
Currently the adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, Dunne told the students to live their lives according to three simple-sounding tasks: earn, work and serve.
“I offer these to you to apply in any way that provides the most meaning and impact,” Dunn said. You are not done yet and the fun has just begun.”
Michael Delorge, class valedictorian from Biddeford, said his fellow classmates were at a finish line. The start, he said, was four years ago when they first stepped onto campus. And like all starts and finishes, everything in between was a bit uncertain.
“It did not play out the way we thought it would,” Delorge said. “Despite how hard some of us might have tried to stick to our plan, forces out of our control got in.”
For some graduating on Saturday, it was the first-ever commencement they had ever attended thanks to COVID-19. The pandemic changed educational experiences and what was normal.
Labs in dorm rooms, eating pre-packaged meals alone and quarantining kept students away from the social and academic activities that should have been part of their UMaine experience.
“We learned the meaning of the word ‘asynchronous’ and mustered the courage to not turn off our 7:59 a.m. alarm for our 8 a.m. Zoom lecture,” Delorge said. “Despite our challenges, we thrived.”
No one is better prepared for the “new normal” of a post-pandemic world than the class of 2024, Delorge said.
