The University of Buffalo graduate was chased across the stage by police at the opening ceremony on Sunday when he carried a banned item when he tried to collect his diploma: a baby.
The video of the start of the College of Arts and Sciences shows student Jean Paul Al Arab running quickly from behind the scenes, cutting off the alumni line and inserting it into the procedure.
The Al Arabs were pursued by at least two police officers and at least two police officers who are believed to be university faculty. Unable to stop the sprint, the Al Arab shook hands with the graduate officer’s staff and stopped his arms in his arms as the crowd cried out.
He was then escorted from the stage by police officers, video shows.
A University of Buffalo spokesman stressed in a statement to NBC News that police were not called to commence, but rather there were officials who already existed as part of normal safety protocols.
These officers “explicitly communicated the rules to Al Arab at the start, as seen in the video,” the statement said.
“Al-Arab violated the initiation rules by ignoring multiple orders from university event staff and UB police, fleeing officers and taking infants to the initiation stage of the alumni arena,” the school said in a release.
The law is a violation of Buffalo’s initiation rules, which clearly states that “only graduates may take part in graduation ceremonies, including walking in the procession and crossing the stage.” The school said rules are in place to ensure the safety of attendees and avoid confusion during the ceremony.
But there’s another story to the Al Arabs.
On Tiktok, posted by the Al-Arab account and verified by NBC News, he said he asked if he could walk with the baby in the starting preparation class. He said he was told it was “alright.”
When it was time to walk, the al-Arab said the guidance changed and he had been stopped by an official.
“They tried to escort me, but honestly, the only reason they let me go was for everyone who cheered and supported me.
In the caption of the video, Al Arab explained that while attending school full time, he also does two jobs (one overnight), where the boy’s mother cared for his son until he gets home from work.
“And I’m graduating and graduating with my boy,” writes Al Arab. “We did that!”
The Al Arab sent an email on Sunday afternoon apologizing to start staff, the University of Buffalo said. He is not punished and still gets a degree.
“The toddler has yet to earn enough credit to receive his diploma despite being beyond the hat and gown stage,” the school noted. “I hope he will return to the stage in about 20 years so he can follow in his father’s footsteps.”
