 87 out of 511 faculty members at Brandeis signed a letter to the university president.The university announced that the decision to withdraw the invitation was made after a discussion between Ayaan Ali and President Frederick Lawrence, stating that "She is a compelling public figure and advocate for women's rights ... but we cannot overlook certain of her past statements".According to Brandeis, Ali was never invited to speak at commencement, she was only invited to receive an honorary degree.