Emma Sulkowicz carried protest mattress across stage at Columbia graduation

The Columbia University student who vowed to carry her mattress around campus until her alleged rapist was expelled graduated on Tuesday, bringing her mattress across the stage with her.

Emma Sulkowicz says she was raped on the first day of her sophomore year by a classmate, but the case was dismissed. A visual arts major, Sulkowicz conceived a performance art project called "Carry That Weight," taking the mattress with her wherever she went on campus as long as she attended the same school as her alleged rapist. Earlier this year, that student filed a defamation lawsuit against the school and Sulkowicz's thesis advisor.

On Monday, an email was sent out to students from the administration, stating that they should "not bring into the ceremonial area large objects that could interfere with the proceedings or create discomfort to others in close, crowded spaces." This was the first time students had received such a directive before graduation and many believed it had to do with Sulkowicz's mattress; Columbia Spectator student reporter Teo Armus also reported that an official asked Sulkowicz to leave the mattress in her room during the ceremony. She was able to bring it in, Armus told NBC News, and has another opportunity to carry it to the university-wide ceremony on Wednesday.

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