BALTIMORE (AP) - Some University of Baltimore students are speaking out against their scheduled fall commencement speaker: Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
A crowd of students filed into a courtyard near the school on Monday, holding protest signs that read "support public schools #neverDeVos" and "We are DeVos-stated."
University of Baltimore President Kurt Schmoke sent a letter to the student body explaining why he believes she is a good choice.
Schmoke's cousin, Julian Schmoke Jr., a former for-profit college official, was recently tapped to head a unit within the U.S. Education Department that focuses on fraud in higher education.
Kurt Schmoke said DeVos's upcoming speech and his cousin's recent employment within the agency are unrelated.