Seattle University Dismisses Professor After She Posted Viral Video Of Provost Snatching Palestinian Flag At Graduation

Last month, Seattle University tripped and fell under the international spotlight when a video of Provost Shane Martin snatching a Palestinian flag from a student as she crossed the stage at graduation went viral. The altercation caught traction after criminal justice professor Carmen Rivera posted a clip from Seattle U’s livestream on Instagram, garnering more than 2 million views on her page alone. Just two weeks after she made that post, Seattle U told Rivera to pack up her desk — the University would not renew her assistant dean and assistant teaching professor appointments for the coming academic year. 

University officials gave her some logistical excuse about course load for the decision, but Rivera suspects Seattle U is retaliating for her public criticism of Martin, just one episode in her history of standing up to the University.

On June 14, Rivera posted a short clip, cut directly from Seattle U’s YouTube livestream of the 2026 commencement ceremony. The clip showed a now infamous moment when a graduate walked across the stage and attempted to display a Palestinian flag. Martin, who was on stage to shake student’s hands and pose for pictures, quickly yanked the flag, seemingly in effort to keep it out of view. Martin then grabbed the student, firmly directing her off stage, an action many saw as aggressive and even assault. According to advocates at a recent CAIR-WA press conference, the incident felt especially violating because the student said she told the provost she didn’t want to shake his hand or have any physical contact with him in observance of her Muslim faith. 

“I am disturbed by how the provost handled this situation,” Rivera captioned her now viral Instagram video. “I believe I’ve seen other flags waved by students and not receive this response.

Rivera seemed aware that a post could get her in trouble and yet she still felt compelled to share. 

She wrote, “I understand I may receive backlash for highlighting anything negative that could damage the institution, and institutions are made of people. They’re not real. People are real and I know too many who are afraid to say anything. I am privileged and fed up enough to not be afraid. I’m sorry this happened. I hope we can do better.”

Rivera described to Inside Higher Ed the anxiety-ridden two weeks that followed that post, where she had heard rumbles that she could be punished but did not know when.

Near the end of June, Rivera finally got an email informing her that the University would not renew her contract. According to screenshots of emails, Seattle U told Rivera the University was eliminating her position as assistant dean and would not have enough courses to bump her teaching position to full-time. Seattle U declined to comment on Rivera’s renewal decision as the University “does not comment on individual personnel matters.”

Rivera said on Instagram that the explanation did not map on to her understanding of the department, which she said needs more classes to meet student demand. Previously, Rivera claims University officials told her she would have to teach full-time starting in the 2027-2028 school year. Beyond that, the reasoning did not explain why Seattle U relieved her of her duties effective June 30 when her contract lasts several weeks longer. 

In an email to her students with the subject line “My final lesson,” Rivera argued her case that Seattle U did not renew her in retaliation for her history of advocacy. She told her students, “...based on what I have been able to gather, it appears to allegedly reflect concerns about how I exercise my First Amendment right and academic freedom.”

She detailed different times she ticked off the institution — accusing a tenure-track faculty member of tokenizing her queerness, empowering student advocacy to bar Customs and Border Protection from the annual Criminal Justice Career Fair, and finally the incident with the Palestinian flag at commencement. 

In her email, Rivera said she stands by her decision to call out the provost who “made the conscious decision to publicly put his hands on that graduating student and ruin one of the most important days of her life.” 

“I believe it is my responsibility and the bare minimum to speak out and use my position and privilege to call in and call out,” Rivera wrote. 

This isn't simply a dispute over one viral Instagram post. To Rivera, it's an example of how institutions use their power to shape who gets to speak, who is heard and, ultimately, who stays.

“I have recently been told that, as an Assistant Dean, I am not able to speak publicly against my institution to hold it accountable,” Rivera said. “I disagree with this premise and strongly believe if those with power spoke out more, we would see better accountability and transparency from our institutions.”

She continued, “Because here's what they don't tell you about institutions: they are very good at welcoming you in, and very skilled at making sure you don't change anything without their blessing once you arrive.”