**The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Strips Kanye West of Honorary Doctorate**

For the first time in its 80-year history, the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has rescinded the highly-valued, prestigious honorary doctorate it awarded to Kanye West in 2015.

In an email sent to members of the SAIC community today, the school’s president Elissa Tenny cited Ye’s recent “disturbing behaviors” and “dangerous statements” as the reasons behind the decision.

“His anti-Black, antisemitic, and incendiary statements, particularly those directed at Black and Jewish communities, are disgusting and condemnable,” Tenny wrote. “His words and actions have been painful for our entire community and, particularly, for those of us who feel that our identities and life experiences are under attack.”

Tenny explained that Ye’s recent actions—which include publicly praising Hitler’s Nazi regime, giving incendiary interviews on far-right programs, and dining with Donald Trump and white nationalist Nick Fuentes—“do not align with SAIC’s mission and values.”

On December 1, a group called “Against Hate at SAIC” published a Change.org petition calling on president Tenny to rescind Ye’s degree. “Regardless of his contributions prior to the receipt of this award, it is harmful to allow Ye…to continue to use the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to help legitimize hatred and violence,” the document read. It has since amassed over 4,000 signatures.

Perhaps This Event Will Affect Kanye Deeply

AOC has followed the infuriating current episode of all Kanye’s venemous hate — and it is very distressing on all fronts. But having watched his 3-part Netflix documentary ‘Jeen-yuhs’ early in its release, we understand just how much this honorary doctorate meant to Kanye.

It truly was a milestone in Ye’s personal development, and losing the honorary degree will impact him deeply. None of us really knows what is going on in Kanye’s mind. But to the extent that Ye is open to receive inputs from his surroundings and process them as most humans do — and there is no reason to believe that he is — this event is a gut punch to West. He has earned it 110% with his actions. But it is a gut punch.

We share a happier version of this story — the day Kanye West received the honorary doctorate that made him so proud of himself — and not in an obnoxious way. Kanye was deeply touched in this video. ~ Anne