NMU students plan protest of Gov. Rick Snyder

Northern Michigan University has begun preparations for the spring commencement ceremony next week. There will be more than 800 students attending the ceremony.

However there has been some controversy surrounding the university's choice of commencement speaker, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. Students are upset the university chose such a contentious figure without their input, blaming Snyder for his abdication during the flint water crisis in 2014.

A community support rally is planned leading up to the ceremony followed by a silent protest during the governor's speech. NMU says they encourage students to take action and stand up for their beliefs in a respectful way.

According to NMU Chief Marketing Officer Derek Hall, “To do a peaceful, silent protest during his speech, that is their right to do that and we respect that. All we ask is that everyone respect those around them. We have a lot of families and a lot of graduates.”

Graduation is set for Saturday, May 5th and NMU asks those attending to abstain from bringing any large bags and would like to remind everyone that all bags are subject to search.