This is totally inaccurate. I attended the 9am and 1am ceremonies.
After the 9am ceremony, he received what I’d characterize as ‘normal’ applause. I heard one boo and about 15 people - primarily faculty - stood up and clapped.
The 1pm ceremony was more charged. During the 2nd half of the speech, when he was citing figures about how much the US spends on defense ($0.40 of every tax dollar, more than next 20 nations combined, etc.) a group began to boo. Immediately others began to respond to the booers, telling them to “let him finish.” Somebody who was sitting on the stage later told me that they could not hear this. When Stephens said, “In conclusion” towards the end of the speech, a good number of people clapped and laughed. When he finished, there was polite applause, some booing, and again some standing ovation from faculty...exactly what you’d expect.
He sat on the stage for the next hour (seemed like an hour) as graduates came up and received diplomas. Afterwards, at the foot of the stage, he was approached by a graduate and her family who were offended by the speech. They spoke for several minutes. Afterwards, he walked out with several other people.
That is what happened.
I also was at the 1 pm Commencement. There were a number of boos, which escalated in volume and number toward the end of Stephens’s speech. While he might have finished, his words were hurried and not “eloquently” delivered as the boos became louder. He appeared to be a bit rattled and anxious to take his seat. Applause was moderate and simply polite as the booing took over. As a parent of one of the graduates, I know it doesn’t take a Conservative or a Liberal to be disappointed by Mr. Stephens’s use of a university commencement to voice his own political views. He was out of line in many ways...