About 150 seniors walked out of their Imagining Justice classes today to protest the move of Eckerd College’s 2026 commencement from Kappa Field to an indoor venue in Bradenton.
Students nervously glanced around their IJ classrooms, slowly rising from their seats at noon. Muffled hollering echoed through the walls of classrooms as they opened the doors to leave en masse and walk toward the Upham Administration Building, where President James Annarelli’s office is located.
At Upham, cardboard signs read “disabled students are not your scapegoats,” “admin thinks inside” and “respect student voices.” As the demonstration grew, senior communication major Mellen Carroll spoke about the meaning behind the protest…