CARLISLE, Pa. — After public backlash from students, Michael Smerconish will no longer be speaking at the Dickinson College Commencement on May 19.
Smerconish, who hosts a daily radio show on SiriusXM's POTUS channel alongside hosting CNN's "Smerconish", was invited by the college to not only speak during commencement but to also receive an honorary degree.
This began after an undergraduate student wrote an opinion piece on Smerconish for The Dickinsonian voicing their concerns on the decision, prompting the host to reply on his radio show stating that it was "essentially wanting to cancel" him.
In an open letter from The Dickinsonian's editorial board, the student-run newspaper argued that "the Class of 2024 deserves better than Smerconish as their commencement speaker because of his statements in support of the racial profiling of Arab Americans and Muslims in his 2004 book 'Flying Blind', views which he has continued to stand by."
Additionally, the editorial board stated that Smerconish did not actually respond to any of the quotes cited as causing concerns, including his statement that Arab Americans 'look like terrorists' during his radio show rebuttal.
On Saturday, Dickinson College President John E. Jones posted a statement regarding updates to the Commencement ceremony. It reads in part:
"It has become clear that our selected speaker, Michael Smerconish, faced overwhelming opposition from our faculty and students, particularly after recent comments he made. As a result, with the support of our Board of Trustees, I have decided to rescind the honorary degree and invitation to speak at Commencement."
The full statement can be read here.
