Readers respond to Question of the Week:

College graduations: Should they be held?

Yes, college ceremonies should go on as they always have for students

Unless a majority of those to receive degrees vote to the contrary, the decision should not be made by a small group of protesters. How should the current iteration of protesters be compared to the anti-Vietnam War campus protests of the 1960s and ’70s? No comparison. The United States was a major participant in Vietnam, college-age males were subject to the draft and many killed and wounded. Today’s protestors have no fear for their lives. Are today’s protesters well educated on the politics of the Middle East? No. I am 91 years old, received my BA 70 years ago and among the courses I recall is one in which the professor emphasized that “there will never be peace in the Middle East.” A fine teacher!

— James E. Dunlevey, Menifee

Graduation should be held

There has been major turmoil and protest over the war in Palestine, however it should not affect the students. College graduates again are having one of the most important days of their lives canceled over protest. We can see that the colleges are canceling with concerns for public safety. But there are certain measures that can be taken to ensure the graduates have their ceremony and have it safely. The students of the universities have decided to voice their opinions just like the anti-war protest in the ‘60s and ‘70s. America should be learning from the past protest and avoid making the same mistakes. The cancellation of graduation ceremonies is highly unfair to these students as they have worked hard looking forward to this day ever since their high school graduation was canceled.

— Kitzia Viramontes, Montclair

The schools’ graduation ceremonies should be on

Why do students protest outside? What led up to this mess? Could it be that not many professors including the president and chancellor were ever trained to handle adversity? My goodness, if the administration would open a dialog before dialing 911, all of this could have been mitigated. And for not protecting their wards the administration is wrong, wrong and wrong.

— John P. Laschober, Chino