Rice, and Ben Carson, should not have backed down. It doesn’t make them look magnanimous. It makes them look weak. They should have made their speeches, and if the stupid students and faculty want to make fools of themselves and ruin graduation for the other students, so be it.
I think this is a difficult decision. One the one hand, she is bring honest and caring in her desire not to ruin the graduating seniors’ big day. The problem on the other hand is that canceling shows lefties that this practice works to silence and marginalize their opposition.
There's something to be said for having a commencement speaker who is a highly accomplished alumnus of the school. If the students make a scene like this, the school would then run the risk of having the person sever all ties to the university, cut off all donations, etc.