Story perspectives

1,000+ U-Michigan Voices Demand President Retract Apology, Protect Speech

5/5/2026

Left

Faculty Demands Retraction

Over 1,000 University of Michigan faculty, staff, and students signed a letter demanding President Domenico Grasso retract apology, protect speech.
President Domenico Grasso apologized, calling the remarks hurtful and insensitive, and announced a review of commencement programming.
Michigan Hillel and the Anti-Defamation League condemned the speech as alienating the Jewish community.
The university removed the commencement video after backlash, later restoring it citing copyright issues.

Right

Peterson Denounces Kirk

Derek Peterson, University of Michigan faculty senate chair, denounced Charlie Kirk as demagogue in an email after Kirk’s September assassination.
The commencement speech praised pro-Palestinian activists at University of Michigan, prompting condemnation from Michigan Hillel and Anti-Defamation League.
President Domenico Grasso apologized, review programming; Hubbard, Schostak, and Leo Terrell demanded sanctions on Peterson.
Leo Terrell, head of Justice Department’s Antisemitism Task Force, said Peterson failed to condemn Hamas.

History

Historical Context

The May 4 1970 Kent State shooting, where Ohio National Guard fire killed four students and wounded nine, sparked a nationwide strike involving over four million students and led to the Scranton Commission’s call for reform of campus security. That legacy of accountability resurfaces as the University of Michigan president apologizes for a commencement speech, prompting debate over campus speech policy.

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Faculty Demands Retraction

Over 1,000 University of Michigan faculty, staff, and students signed a letter demanding President Domenico Grasso retract apology, protect speech.
President Domenico Grasso apologized, calling the remarks hurtful and insensitive, and announced a review of commencement programming.
Michigan Hillel and the Anti-Defamation League condemned the speech as alienating the Jewish community.
The university removed the commencement video after backlash, later restoring it citing copyright issues.

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