The University's decision to rescind Ayaan Hirsi Ali's honorary degree has not only gained national attention in the media but also has stirred controversy among students, faculty, administration and alumni.

The Brandeis community expressed dissent regarding the University's initial selection of Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born women's rights activist who has campaigned against female genital mutilation among other human rights causes, as an honorary degree recipient due to various statements she has made regarding Islam. Hirsi Ali, herself a victim of genital mutilation and forced marriage while living in an Islamic-ruled area, has referred to Islam as a "backwards religion" and a "destructive, nihilistic cult of death" that legitimizes murder.

A student petition at www.Change.org, started by Sarah Fahmy '14, called on University President Frederick Lawrence to rescind the offer of an honorary degree. A faculty petition, in the form of a letter to Lawrence, also asked that the University rescind its invitation to Hirsi Ali.

On April 8, the University released an official statement on BrandeisNOW to rescind its invitation to Hirsi Ali as an honorary degree recipient at its 63rd annual commencement ceremony on May 19. "Following a discussion today between President Frederick Lawrence and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ms. Hirsi Ali's name has been withdrawn as an honorary degree recipient at this year's commencement," the statement read.

Although the statement referred to Hirsi Ali as a "compelling public figure and advocate for women's rights," the statement continued on to say that "we cannot overlook certain of her past statements that are inconsistent with Brandeis University's core values." 
The statement invited Hirsi Ali to speak on campus in the future "to engage in a dialogue about these important issues," though it did explain that, for commencement, "we are committed to providing an atmosphere that allows our communityos focus to be squarely on our students."

The University claimed in the statement that, previously, it was "not aware" of Hirsi Ali's anti-Islamic statements. This claim raised questions within both the Brandeis community and the national media regarding the thoroughness of the University's vetting process for potential honorary degree recipients.

According to the University's website, any individual can submit the name of a potential honorary degree candidate to the Honorary Degrees Committee. The website outlines the selection process as follows: the committee then brings these names to the entire Board of Trustees for approval; the president of the University selects degree recipients from the list of approved nominees. Lawrence, in this case, selected Hirsi Ali from a pool of vetted individuals.

According to Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid in an email to the Justice, a nomination by the Board of Trustees is viable for five years and can be renewed up to two times, meaning that an individual can be nominated to receive an honorary degree for a maximum total of 15 years. De Graffenreid said she does not know when Hirsi Ali was initially nominated "as it was well before I arrived at Brandeis." However, de Graffereid wrote that she currently staffs the same Honorary Degree Committee.

De Graffenreid did not respond to questions regarding the specifics of the vetting process or whether or not the University was implementing any initiatives to change the process in response to the backlash from its initial selection of Hirsi Ali.

When the Office of Development and Alumni Relations was asked what sort of response it has received and whether or not the situation has affected fundraising and donations, Director of Development Communications David Nathan directed the Justice to de Graffenreid, who wrote that "Brandeis alumni and friends have reached out to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to share their opinions concerning this year's honorary degrees. It is clear that our friends and alumni care deeply about the University and want to see it continue to flourish." De Graffenreid did not go into specific regarding alumni and donor responses that the University has received.

Hirsi Ali has made a presence in the national media, and published what she had planned to say at commencement in an April 10 Wall Street Journal opinion piece. However, Hirsi Ali was never scheduled to speak at commencement. She was only originally scheduled to speak at the International and Global Studies mini-commencement ceremony.

Articles have also been published in publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post on the situation.

-Phil Gallagher contributed reporting.