Lt. Gov. Evette Responds to Student Protest Over Commencement Speaker Role South Carolina State University students staged a silent protest on Tuesday against the potential selection of Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette as the university’s spring commencement speaker. The demonstration took place near President Alexander Conyers’ office at the Donna Administration Building, drawing attention to Evette’s political stance and its perceived conflict with the values of the historically Black college. Evette, a staunch advocate for eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and abolishing tenure at public universities, has faced criticism from students and educators for her positions. Evette addressed the controversy in a series of social media posts, asserting that the protests were tied to her and former President Donald Trump’s shared commitment to dismantling DEI initiatives. She claimed that conservatives, including herself and Trump, had done “more for HBCUs than any administration in history” and dismissed the protests as attacks on her efforts to “end radical DEI scams on college campuses.” Evette vowed to “never back down” to what she called “woke radicals,” stating she would “end DEI on campuses once and for all.” She also emphasized her administration’s support for HBCUs, citing $2.4 million in funding from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund to expand online instruction and proposals for tuition grants and financial aid. Democratic State Senator Deon Tedder condemned the protests as a misuse of the commencement ceremony, calling it a “platform for partisan rhetoric” that undermines the mission of HBCUs.#lieutenant_gov_pamela_evette #south_carolina_state_university #president_alexander_conyers #donna_administration_building #deon_tedder
