First, the Provo School District denied a venue to Brigham Young University students who wanted a place to hold an alternative commencement ceremony. The students, who did not want to attend the official ceremony with speaker Dick Cheney, had been promised space at a local high school, but then a memo suddenly appeared, telling all principals to deny use of their schools for the event. An anonymous member of the Provo School Board says that, in denying space to the students, the board is violating its own rental policy.
But that was just the beginning of the story. A local businesswoman has tipped off the students that their names are now also on a “do not hire” list circuated by local businesses. “Many businesses are noting the names involved,” she says.