RICHMOND, Va. -- Protesters and students at Virginia Commonwealth University spoke out Friday morning at a scheduled meeting for the VCU Board of Visitors.
Those who spoke out at the meeting voiced their growing frustration over the University's choice of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R - Virginia) for Saturday's commencement speaker.
There were also complaints over how police broke up last week's student protest.
Around 5,000 students are expected to graduate from the college this weekend but multiple groups, including the school's NAACP chapter and a group called 'Not Welcome at VCU' say almost 800 people are willing to walk out of the ceremony when Youngkin takes the stage.
Specifically, people who spoke at the Board of Visitors meeting said they were upset with Youngkin's perceived interference with VCU's planned racial literacy requirement.
They also expressed objections to Youngkin's views on LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare, and his response to police breaking up a pro-Palestine protest that organizers called peaceful.
"Yes, VCU has a bipartisan tradition of inviting gubernatorial speakers to commencement," explained one student in the meeting. "But progress has never been made without challenging tradition. And our students and faculty cannot truly be rams. If we were not headstrong, and we'd not headbutt that which we do not like."
Outside of the meeting VCU's President Michael Rao spoke to CBS 6's Bree Sison off camera declining a full interview.
He expressed to CBS 6 that inviting the Governor is not a partisan statement but they will continue to hear students concerns and hope they will be respectful and safety conscious at graduation.
Earlier this week, Governor Youngkin responded to students saying they would protest the commencement saying, "I firmly believe it can be a great day of celebration. I think that anyone who thinks they're going to disrupt this for their own personal goals, I think is misguided."
A VCU spokesperson addressed the potential disruption at graduation with CBS 6 earlier this week saying in a statement, "Commencement is a time for our graduates and their families and friends to celebrate academic achievements and their experiences at VCU. Commencement is an official university event and disruptions will not be tolerated. We expect our graduates and their guests will celebrate with behavior that allows everyone to enjoy this milestone occasion. But anyone who engages in a prolonged disruption may be asked to leave the ceremony or could be removed from the Convention Center. VCU Police and law enforcement partners are committed to supporting a safe environment for everyone who attends."
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
Every day CBS 6 is Giving You A Voice. Share your voice with the CBS 6 Newsroomvia email hereor click here to submit a tip. You can also leave a message by calling 804-254-3672. Be sure to leave your name, phone number and detailed description of your story idea.
