New York: Columbia University has initiated the suspension of students participating in a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus who have remained beyond the latest deadline, intensifying pressure on the school’s president.
The university, located in New York City, had requested the students to voluntarily disband the encampment by 2 p.m. ET on Monday, warning that failure to do so would result in suspension and barring them from completing the semester. Despite the deadline passing, with many tents still standing several hours later, Columbia announced that it would begin suspending some protesters and reiterated its call for demonstrators to vacate the area.
"We will not leave unless forced to," stated Sueda Polat, a graduate student at Columbia and an organizer of the encampment, during an earlier student news briefing.
It remains unclear how students will be notified of their suspensions, which are expected to restrict their access to campus buildings and facilities, potentially preventing them from taking final exams.
The encampment, now entering its third week, has inspired similar protests at colleges across the country, presenting school officials with challenges in their responses. Many Jewish students have expressed feeling unsafe on campus due to escalating antisemitism. In contrast, protesters insist their demonstrations are peaceful.
On Monday evening, the campus atmosphere was calm, with individuals in the encampment either retreating to their tents or engaging in quiet conversations. Earlier in the day, several hundred protesters had marched in a loop around the main plaza, chanting in support of Palestinians and Gaza.
At one point, the crowd chanted, "Columbia, we know you, you arrest your students, too."
More than two dozen prominent Columbia alumni and donors, including a former chair of the board of trustees, criticized university president Minouche Shafik on Monday for failing to control campus protests and allowing antisemitism to thrive.
In an open letter to Shafik, the alumni demanded the removal of illegal encampments on campus and urged swift and decisive disciplinary action against students engaged in hate speech, threats, and criminal behavior.
"The current approach of placating disruptors is clearly ineffective," the letter stated, accumulating over 100 signatures by Monday afternoon.
Signatories included Lisa Carnoy, a former Bank of America executive and past chair of the Columbia board, who had expressed confidence in Shafik's ability to handle questions during a recent congressional hearing about the university's response to unrest over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
That hearing triggered a series of protests and the encampment of students on the main quad, with students demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from Israel. Shafik stated on Monday that the university would not divest from Israel and reiterated the need for protesters to vacate the area or face consequences. However, the alumni letter claimed she was not acting decisively enough.
The letter was also signed by David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel under Donald Trump; Scott Ostfeld, managing partner at the hedge fund Jana Partners; and real-estate developer Michael Barry.
Police clashed with protesters at Virginia Commonwealth University on Monday evening, while nine protesters were arrested at the University of Florida.
"This is not complicated: The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children—they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they'll face the consequences," said university spokesman Steve Orlando.
Schools have asserted that the encampments disrupt learning and daily life, but officials have struggled to balance speech rights and campus security.
Mary Lawlor, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights defenders, stated on Monday that suspending students for protests violates their right to peaceful assembly.
Columbia sophomore Jonathan Lederer, 22, studying computer science, stood near the encampment on Monday afternoon, waving a large Israeli flag. Lederer disagreed with the protesters' rhetoric and questioned why the school had not taken action after the 2 p.m. deadline.
"Hundreds of my friends have gone home; they don't feel safe returning to campus. They feel alienated," he said.
A Jewish student at Columbia filed a lawsuit on Monday against the university in a New York federal court, alleging that the school had created an unsafe environment for Jewish students by failing to remove the encampment. Columbia declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Additionally, a group of 21 House Democrats penned a letter to Columbia's board of trustees on Monday, urging them to disband the encampment. The group argued that by allowing the encampment to continue, the university appeared to be violating its legal obligations to protect students from discrimination and harassment.
"The time for action is now," the letter emphasized. "Any trustees unwilling to take action should resign."
Several student protest groups, including Columbia University Apartheid Divest, have maintained that their demonstrations were peaceful and respectful of all religions.
Columbia's last day of classes was Monday, with student protesters continuing to camp out on the lawn ahead of finals starting on Friday.
Columbia stated that it did not wish to cancel graduation events. However, USC canceled its main commencement ceremony last week, citing the time needed to implement new security measures.
"The responsibility for disrupting graduation lies solely with this administration, which has refused to meet our demands," stated Polat, the Columbia student organizer. "We do not want graduation to be disrupted; they do."