Noem receives honorary degree while protesters gather at DSU

MADISON, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Dakota State University hosted its commencement ceremonies on Saturday to celebrate the graduating class of 2025.

The attendance of one of their honored guests, former South Dakota Governor and current Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, sparked protests in Madison.

Leading up to graduation weekend, there was still uncertainty about what the rumored protests in response to Noem’s selection as a commencement speaker might look like.

Protesters lined Washington Avenue along the way to the Dakota State Fieldhouse, each with signs to express their displeasure with honoring their former governor, disagreeing with her actions as DHS Secretary.

“We don’t think that she is somebody that deserves any sort of honor from anybody,” said one protester with the local group Madison Area Stands Together, or “MAST”, Susan Wicks. “She’s currently right now violating the constitution, deporting people to foreign detainment centers without any due process.”

“I think that recently she’s shown herself to be a tool of the Trump administration and implementing policies that go against the Constitution of the United States,” John Nelson, another MAST protester, said.

Protesters said the faculty and staff of DSU were ignored when they raised concerns about honoring Noem on Saturday.

“DSU didn’t listen to the town, the faculty or their students, and we think that’s abhorrent,” Wicks said.

Inside the Fieldhouse, Noem received an honorary degree, a doctorate in public service. DSU cited Noem’s work championing the school and its cybersecurity programs.

“Then Governor Noem was always ready to listen to our proposals, ask insightful questions to learn more about our plans, and was eager to move forward to support those initiatives,” DSU President José-Marie Griffiths recalled during the ceremony.

Students each made their own decision about whether to protest or not. Some decided not to walk in the ceremony at all, while others discussed the possibility of other forms of protest, like staging a walkout or hiding signs in their cap and gown to bring out when Noem began speaking. Ultimately, they chose to stay in and take in the ceremony.

Max Lerchen graduated on Saturday with a master’s degree in business administration. He was a graduate assistant coach on the track team and said he enjoyed his time at Dakota State.

Lerchen believes that Noem’s values are different than the University’s. He said he considered protesting because he disagreed with the University’s choice to honor Noem “from the get-go”, but ultimately he decided against it.

“This is a degree that I’ve worked hard for and many others have worked hard for,” Lerchen explained. “While I support the decision of those to not participate and I respect them for using their voices that way, I did not want to give Secretary Noem the power over me making decisions regarding my accomplishment and my day, and I’m very happy to see many others make that same choice as well.”

Lerchen continued, “I wanted to make sure I spent the day with my friends and my family, the people who supported me and make sure that I still celebrated regardless of the decision made.”

Some of the students who did choose to protest said that they were locked out of campus buildings where they stored their signs for the protest.

In the heat of the moment, some took it as a slight against them for speaking out. Some protesters claimed the University told them, as of Saturday, they are no longer students at the University.

Lerchen doesn’t believe it was intentional.

“A lot of our facilities around here, when they’re not in use, are locked. That’s not an uncommon thing. [DSU] made a decision that I disagree with to select and honor Secretary Noem with a degree, but I do not think any of the actions by the university were meant to be malicious,” Lerchen said.

Despite disagreement with Noem, protesters remained respectful and kept their distance so that graduates could enjoy the special day.

“I think one of the worst things a protest can be is to cause a distraction, taking away from the graduates and giving somebody such as Secretary Noem so much power or distraction over the achievements of the graduates,” said Lerchen.

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