Hampshire College

The May 14, 2016 Hampshire College commencement ceremony

(Jim Russell photo)

AMHERST — Endemic racism, persistent sexual assaults and a frivolous school administration that allegedly fails to address those problems were among the themes voiced by Hampshire College senior class speaker Xavier Torres de Janon at Saturday's commencement ceremony on the Harold F. Johnson Library Lawn.

Xavier Torres de Janon

"This school continues to enroll and retain rapists," de Janon charged, in a speech tinged with occasional profanity. The native of Guayaquil, Ecuador, also claimed, "We will become tokens for this campus to profit off."

De Janon was among 355 graduates at Hampshire's 46th commencement. His senior project was titled, "A Comparative Racial Framework under the Brown Scare:

Post-9/11 U.S. Racialization and Persecution of Muslim-Arabs and Latin@s."

De Janon was among students who last month voiced concerns about issues including sexual assaults, racism and divestment, leading Hampshire officials to try to address those issues and cancel a day and a half of classes.

The new graduate said attempts were made prior to the commencement to prevent him from speaking. "I was told I was suicidal by an administrator," he said, without naming the individual.

De Janon alleged that Black Lives Matter efforts on campus were suppressed while swastikas were placed on the grounds, including inside bathrooms.

Despite his vitriol, de Janon said, "I have loved" the Hampshire experience, adding, "I am thankful for the knowledge" gained at Hampshire.

Many stood and cheered at the conclusion of de Janon's address, while a number of attendees sat in their chairs without clapping.

The 2016 Hampshire College commencement; Xavier Torres de Janon's speech comes at about the 1 hour, 31-minute mark:

Keynote speaker Reina Gossett, a noted social justice activist, gave an address tame by comparison.

She said genuine feedback is essential for progress, calling that sort of action a "truth shower."

Gossett discussed the importance of the school's James Baldwin Scholars Program.

She also recited an excerpt from a Jean Jordan poem titled, "From Sea to Shining Sea."

"The natural order is not about a good time

This is not a good time to be against

The natural order".

Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash, who spoke earlier in the program, before de Janon, discussed the power of caring for others.

"I do not believe it is technology that cures us" when ill, he said. "It is care."

Lash said. "That's what carried me through darkness and pain ... Students care. That's why I love you."

Lash has been recuperating for the past five months since undergoing back surgery that was followed by complications, he said.