Identity of Speakers
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Cintya Felix Mendivil
Student
OtherSGA President
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
University-sponsored lecture/address/panel
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Incident Political Orientation:
Left wing -
Incident Responses:
Student sanctioned
Other
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
On May 15, 2026, Chapman University removed a planned commencement speech by Cintya Felix Mendivil, the president of the university’s Student Government Association (SGA), from the May 22 University Commencement Ceremony. Mendivil, who graduated in 2026 with degrees in political science and Spanish and a minor in economics, had submitted her remarks to university administrators earlier in May, consistent with the practice of previous SGA presidents. Chapman spokesperson Bob Hitchcock said that Mendivil could not participate because the SGA had been placed on “frozen status” and was prohibited from holding events, conducting official organizational business, or participating in university functions, including ceremonial activities. Chapman said the decision was unrelated to the content of Mendivil’s speech. Mendivil said, “I haven’t been given an adequate reason why I’m being censored or punished, given that I did no wrong.”
The SGA had been placed on temporary frozen status in March 2026 while Chapman conducted a conduct review following an election controversy. The review involved allegations concerning the SGA’s election procedures and its handling of discrimination and harassment hearings. The frozen status restricted the organization’s official activities, including its participation in university functions. Mendivil was not herself the subject of the stated SGA restrictions, but the university applied those restrictions to her role as SGA president in connection with the commencement ceremony. Her planned speech encouraged graduates to “Stay informed” and “Vote” and addressed civic engagement, opportunity, environmental protection, and other issues.
After Chapman removed the speech from the official ceremony, students, faculty, and community members organized a “Students’ Commencement” at First Presbyterian Church of Orange on May 22, 2026. Mendivil and several graduates left Chapman’s campus and attended the alternative ceremony, where she delivered the speech. Her remarks addressed health care, housing, the cost of living, immigration enforcement, environmental issues, and civic engagement. She told graduates that “there is never a perfect time to be on the right side of history.”
