Columbia University has started to suspend students who refuse to leave the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. This happened after the deadline for them to leave the encampment passed.
Ben Chang, the vice president of communications for Columbia University, said, “We have begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus.” He added that disciplinary action would be handled by different units within the University.
Earlier, Columbia told students they must disperse from the camp by 2 p.m. and sign a document to follow university rules. Those who didn’t do this started getting suspended by around 5:30 p.m. Monday. They were also declared ineligible to complete the semester or graduate and were restricted from academic, residential, and recreational spaces.
The protests have continued for over a week at Columbia and other college campuses across the country. Demonstrators are demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and a stop to U.S. military aid to Gaza.
University of Southern California canceled its main commencement ceremony after canceling a pro-Palestinian valedictorian’s speech, which faced criticism.
School administrators are trying to balance free speech rights with protecting Jewish students’ safety. Some protests have been peaceful, but there have been concerns about anti-Semitic rhetoric.
A coalition of over 20 Democratic House members wrote a letter to Columbia University, urging administrators to end the encampment. They expressed disappointment that the university hadn’t disbanded the encampment yet.
However, some Democrats have defended the demonstrations and accused school administrators of violating protesters’ rights.
