The University of California at San Diego’s largest commencement ever went off without a hitch the weekend of June 17th, which was a pleasant surprise. Earlier grumblings on campus had promised that protests by Chinese students would greet the university’s honored guest, the 14th Dalai Lama.
The controversy over the Dalai Lama’s visit erupted when the university made the announcement in February. The Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) at UCSD announced opposition to the visit on its social media saying “our association has been forced to take tough and unyielding measures.”
The multi-day UCSD commencement events included a press conference and a public address on Friday, June 16; the all-campus commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 17; followed by individual college commencements on June 18. The Dalai Lama spoke on the first two days to a crowd of about 25,000 each day without major incidents. A video by the San Diego Union Tribune showed three Chinese students walked out on Saturday’s commencement.
