A student graduating from MacEwan University in Edmonton says she was barred from her June 17 convocation ceremony as retribution for her pro-Palestine activism.
Eve Aboualy, who’s graduating with a major in psychology and minor in sociology, told the Progress Report that rather than engage with student demands to disclose MacEwan’s investments and divest from those implicated in Israeli human rights abuses, university administration is targeting the student advocates for reprisal.
“They're trying to topple our movement at McEwen University, trying to take out the individuals who are advocating for just disclosure and divestment, very simple asks,” said Aboualy, who is a founding member of MacEwan’s Palestinian Students Alliance (PSA).
Aboualy emphasized that while the prohibition on her attending convocation is disappointing, it’s minor compared to what students in Gaza have gone through over the past two years.
“There's no universities left in Gaza. There's been no graduates for the past two years. They have had no convocation ceremonies over there for the past two years, whether that's because they have been killed by the terrorist state of Israel, or their schools have been destroyed,” she said.
MacEwan psychology graduate Eve Aboualy was banned from her convocation ceremony for her role in disrupting a December Board of Governors meeting to protest the university's refusal to disclose its investments. (Credit: Nour Salhi)
MacEwan’s decision to bar Aboualy from convocation is an example of the growing repression against students in K-12 and post-secondary education who draw attention to the U.S.-backed genocide Israel is conducting against Palestinians in Gaza.
Last week, CBC News reported that the valedictorian at an Ottawa high school was suspended for making pro-Palestinian remarks at her class’s convocation ceremony.
Aboualy says the university placed her and other PSA activists under investigation for their role in disrupting the Dec. 19 MacEwan Board of Governors meeting, which PSA argues was a necessary escalation after months of unsuccessful attempts to meet with university president Annette Trimbee to discuss the lack of transparency around MacEwan’s investments.
The third-party investigation was conducted by former Edmonton police Supt. Kevin Galvin and submitted to Alberta Human Rights Commission member Karen Scott, a sessional lecturer at University of Alberta’s law school, who made a decision based on its findings, which was forwarded to MacEwan Student Affairs.
The students received several requests to participate in Galvin’s investigation, all of which they declined, because they felt the university was “steamrolling” them into meeting on short notice to use their words against them.
PSA continued its activism while under investigation and the university’s retributions grew increasingly harsh, but the investigation focused solely on the December Board of Governors action.
When the PSA held another protest outside the March 27 board meeting, which also aimed to draw attention to the university’s use of the Israeli-owned Ex Libris library system, administration called the police to force the protestors off campus.
In May, the Students Association at MacEwan University suspended the PSA until September 2026, citing repeated warnings throughout February and March about its “social media conduct,” hosting “unapproved events” and “confrontational banners.”
On June 12, Aboualy received a letter from the university informing her that the investigation upheld the university’s complaints against her and other PSA members, accusing her of violating the Student Code of Conduct, the Non-Academic Misconduct Policy, and the Free Expression on Campus Policy.
The letter said the Dec. 19 disruption caused MacEwan community members “to feel unsafe on campus,” adding that meeting attendees found the protestors’ “aggression and anger” to be “scary and intimidating.”
The letter prohibited the students from participating in “non-mandatory university activities” until they wrote a letter acknowledging the university policies they violated.
Aboualy, who had already purchased a cap and gown for graduation, was the only targeted student who is graduating this year, and so was the only one whose appearance at convocation was prohibited.
The students received their letters on the Thursday before convocation. Aboualy didn’t see it immediately because, with classes finished, she wasn’t checking her MacEwan email regularly.
On Monday, the day before convocation, Aboualy received an email from the university informing her that she would be unable to attend convocation even if she wrote the required letter, because the university requires “a reasonable amount of time for review and processing.” The letter didn’t specify how much time it deems “reasonable.”
Despite the university’s retribution against Aboualy, fellow student Tarek Hamdan brought a Palestinian flag onto stage at convocation and waved it while receiving his political science degree.
MacEwan spokesperson John Archer told the Report that the university is "committed to protecting and supporting freedom of expression," but declined "to discuss information about specific student discipline matters, including any sanctions which might be imposed following a finding of misconduct."
This piece has been updated with official comment from MacEwan University.
Correction: The original version of this story erroneously reported that Alberta Human Rights Commission member Karen Scott conducted the investigation into the students. In fact, the investigation was conducted by ex-police officer Kevin Galvin, who sent his findings to Scott for her to make a decision.