Logan Rozos may have graduated, but New York University (NYU) isn’t currently planning to give her the diploma. The reason? From the horse’s mouth, it’s because she “lied about the speech [she] was going to deliver and violated the commitment [she] made to comply with our rules.”

Rozos, a biological female who identifies as an “actor, artist, and gay black trans man,” used her commencement speech at NYU’s Wednesday graduation ceremony to accuse Israel of committing “genocide.” As she put it, “My moral and political commitments guide me to say that the only thing that is appropriate to say in this time, and to a group this large, is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine.”

She continued, “The genocide currently occurring is supported politically and militarily by the United States, is paid for by our tax dollars, and has been live-streamed to our phones for the past 18 months. ... I condemn this genocide and complicity in this genocide.”

According to the university, Rozos knew the rules she chose to break — hence their decision to withhold her diploma. In addition to acknowledging that Rozos “lied” about the contents in her speech, NYU spokesman John Beckman stated that the school will withhold the diploma as they “pursue disciplinary actions.”

In light of the events, Beckman also explained, “NYU strongly denounces the choice by a student at the Gallatin School’s graduation today — one of over 20 school graduation ceremonies across our campus — to misuse his role as student speaker to express his personal and one-sided political views. NYU is deeply sorry that the audience was subjected to these remarks and that this moment was stolen by someone who abused a privilege that was conferred upon him.”

The Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey, an organization dedicated to combatting anti-Semitism, said it was “appalled” by Rozos’s decision to alter the “approved speech to make divisive and false comments about the current Israel/Hamas war.” They added, “We are thankful to the NYU administration for their strong condemnation and their pursuit of disciplinary action.”

Rozos’s case is not an isolated incident. As reported by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), there’s a growing trend of campus speech controversies. A recent FIRE report revealed that between 2020 and 2024, “more than 600 college students and student groups were punished or investigated for speech that would be constitutionally protected at a public university over the past five years.”

Concerning anti-Semitism, the report noted, “From 2023 to present, students and student groups were mostly targeted by administrators, for expression about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and from their right. During these two years, government officials and politicians led more attempts to punish student speech than in any other period.”

Notably, NYU’s recent efforts to address on-campus anti-Semitism have been widely welcomed, particularly by those who have raised concerns about the steady rise in anti-Semitic incidents since Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023. And this development also aligns with the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on anti-Semitism.

Shortly after the start of his second term, President Donald Trump launched investigations on some of the worst campuses in terms of anti-Semitic activity. In fact, following his inauguration, Trump issued a January 29 executive order entitled, “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.”

As it read, “My Administration has fought and will continue to fight anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world.” The order further emphasized that the “failure to fight anti-Semitism and protect Jewish students” is “unacceptable and ends today.” And as part of this effort, his message was clear: cut out the Jewish hatred or lose federal funding. Even so, some colleges still chose to test their luck.

The result? For starters, Harvard University lost approximately $2.7 billion in federal grants and contracts, including an additional $450 million cut announced in May. Columbia University has been stripped of roughly $400 million — a financial penalty that led the college to lay off 180 employees. In March, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to 60 universities addressing “Antisemitic Discrimination and Harassment.”

As Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said at the time, “The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better.”