SJW Students Walk Out On Pence Commencement Speech At Notre Dame

Notre Dame (85% Catholic) students walk out as @VP @mike_pence begins his address. #WalkoutND pic.twitter.com/mJQxOF3P9D

— Summer Ratcliff (@SummerRatcliff) May 21, 2017

Dozens of students at the University of Notre Dame walked out of their commencement ceremony Sunday when Vice President Mike Pence took the stage — in protest of the administration and policies he represents.

Some members of the larger crowd cheered the walk-outs on, while others booed the students who marched out of gates 27 and 28 of Notre Dame Stadium during the school's 172nd commencement. The walk-out came before the students received their degrees, and they were not allowed back in, officials said.

The move was not totally unexpected, since the student organization WeStaNDFor had shared their plans ahead of time. They believe that the politics Pence, the former Indiana governor who was raised Catholic, represented contradicted the Catholic social virtues Notre Dame extols.

"He has supported policies that have targeted the weakest and most vulnerable among us," said graduate student Luis Miranda, a member of the group, told NBC affiliate WNDU before the protest. "These are my classmates; these are my friends; these are our family members as well. We're standing up for them. We're standing up for their dignity."

Photos and videos from our small ceremony following #walkoutND https://t.co/L0HNFBDIRZ pic.twitter.com/zA8fjPgfje

— We StaND For (@WeStandForND) May 21, 2017

Students gather after walking out of their own graduation to protest @VP pic.twitter.com/e0mOusk7Ye

— Cassidy Williams (@cassidyWSBT) May 21, 2017

Great to see #WalkoutND gaining momentum. If anyone is interested in the reasons we protest take a look at our press release! pic.twitter.com/rvN9GEeVV2

— We StaND For (@WeStandForND) May 18, 2017