Identity of Speakers
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Cecilia Culver
Student
OtherStudent at George Washington University
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
University-sponsored lecture/address/panel
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Student sanctioned
University administration invoked formal speech code in response
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In May 2025, George Washington University barred graduating senior Cecilia Culver from attending campus and university-sponsored events after she deviated from her pre-approved commencement speech. During the ceremony, Culver condemned the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza and called for donors to withhold contributions and urged the university to divest from companies linked to the Israeli military. She also stated, “I am ashamed to know my tuition is being used to fund this genocide,” criticizing the university administration for ignoring students’ calls for transparency and accountability.
University officials said Culver did not follow the agreed-upon speech and restricted her access to university events.
