Student groups target Eric Schmidt speech at Arizona commencement
University of Arizona student advocacy groups are planning to protest eric schmidt at Friday night’s commencement ceremony. They want attendees to hand out flyers, turn their backs to the stage, and boo when the former Google CEO speaks. The dispute now sits inside a graduation crowd expected to include thousands of people, including survivors of gender-based violence, according to one student organizer.
Francisco Burke on Schmidt
Francisco Burke, an undergraduate employee at the Women and Gender Resource Center, said attendees “should just know who the university has decided to have speak on this occasion.”
He also said, “The biggest issue here is they are platforming an abuser. And not only are they platforming an abuser, they are putting him on stage for commencement/graduation, where (according to) statistics that show gender-based violence on college campuses, there will be thousands of survivors in that crowd and there will be survivors that we know of on that stage.”
Burke described the university administration as “radio silent,” and said it seems to be acting as though “if we ignore it, it will just go away.”
Michelle Ritter lawsuit
The flyers are set to summarize allegations in a lawsuit filed by Schmidt’s former girlfriend and business partner, Michelle Ritter, in November 2025. The suit alleges sexual assault and harassment. Schmidt’s attorney, Patricia Glaser, called the claims “false and defamatory.”
A Los Angeles judge sent the case to arbitration in March. Superior Court Judge Michael Small ruled that a 2022 federal law did not apply because a financial settlement Ritter and Schmidt signed in December 2024 came after the alleged sexual wrongdoing.
Casino Del Sol Stadium Friday
The University of Arizona commencement is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 15, at Casino Del Sol Stadium, formerly Arizona Stadium. UA spokesperson Mitch Zak said, “We invited Eric Schmidt to deliver the commencement address in recognition of his extraordinary leadership and global contributions in technology, innovation and scientific advancement.”
Student groups had circulated a petition with more than 1,260 signatures by Wednesday. The petition sought to cancel Schmidt’s speech, and the protest plans now shift the question from whether alumni and families will hear the address to how visibly the crowd responds once he reaches the stage.
