The University of Nevada was added to the list of universities who offered segregated graduation ceremonies this year.
According to Campus Reform, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas hosted five “affinity” celebrations.
From May 7 to May 10, the Office of Student Diversity Programs (SDP) reportedly organized graduation celebrations for Asian and Pacific American, “LatinX”, Native American, African American, and LGBTQ+ students. The goal was to celebrate students with diverse backgrounds and recognize their achievements.
“We strive to serve a diverse student population, elevating and affirming their identities through an intersectional framework that champions student success,” the SDP said in their mission statement.
The University of Nevada, Reno also hosted “affinity” celebrations from May 8 to May 13, Campus Reform reported.
“By recognizing and honoring different cultural traditions and themes, the celebrations create spaces where students can feel proud of their heritage and share it with others,” Reno Student Supervisor Emily Thao-Singh said in a campus statement. “These celebrations help foster a sense of belonging and inclusivity for students of diverse backgrounds.”
The Multicultural Center is in charge of the graduation celebrations in Reno and claimed to continue to produce the celebrations in the future due to its rise in “demand” and “popularity”.
For years, other schools have offered “affinity” celebrations for specific students. For instance, the Daily Wire reported that in 2021, Columbia University began to host segregated graduation celebrations.
The Daily Wire also said, in April, “Dirty Jobs” Host Mike Rowe ridiculed Harvard University’s use of "affinity" celebrations.
“I’m old enough to remember when this was called ‘segregation,’” Rowe said. “At Harvard, they call it ‘affinity.’ To be fair, Harvard’s website says these celebrations are not in lieu of the official graduation, and open to all students who pre-register. But the celebrations themselves are clearly labeled, and the invitees are hard to misconstrue.”
Universities claim "affinity" graduation celebrations are not graduation ceremonies; however, they are structured similarly.
At UNLA, graduating seniors were invited to sign up for the "affinity" celebrations on their school Involvement Center website. UNLA told students they were able to "invite up to 6 guests." The university also told students they would be given a "stole to wear at commencement as part of the ceremony."
By implementing "affinity" celebrations on campus, the University of Nevada joins other universities who encourage segregation on campus by instigating exclusive graduation "celebrations" for students prior to the actual graduation ceremony.