Columbia says it has started suspending students who refuse to leave camp

Columbia University on Monday began suspending students who refuse to leave the pro-Palestinian camp on campus, hours after the deadline to leave the camp passed.

“We have begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus,” Ben Chang, vice president for communications at Columbia University, said at a press conference Monday night. “Once disciplinary action has been initiated, adjudication is conducted by several different units within the University based on the nature of the infraction.”

Earlier in the day, Columbia — where the first large camp took place — told students they must disperse from the camp by 2 p.m. and sign a document pledging to obey university rules when leaving, or face suspension from the school.

“Those who did not comply began to be suspended around 5:30 pm on Monday and were deemed ineligible to complete the semester to graduate, Chang said. Students will also be “restricted” from all academic, residential and recreational spaces, she added.

Chang did not specify the exact number of students who have been suspended so far.

Protests continued in Columbia and on college campuses across the country for more than a week, leading to the arrests of hundreds of students and faculty. Protesters are calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the suspension of US military aid to Gaza.

Chang said Columbia officials tried to urge student protesters to remove the camp so as not to “deprive” their fellow students of a graduation.

The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony amid criticism after rejecting a pro-Palestinian valedictorian’s speech.

School administrators face the need to strike a balance between defending the right to free speech while also protecting the safety of Jewish students. Many of the protests were considered peaceful, although concerns were raised about the proliferation of anti-Semitic rhetoric.

A coalition of more than 20 Democratic House members sent a letter to Columbia University on Monday urging administrators to end the camp.

“We, the undersigned, write to express our disappointment that, despite promises to do so, Columbia University has not yet disbanded the unauthorized and impermissible camp of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish activists on campus,” the lawmakers wrote.

“As a result of this disruption on campus, supported by some faculty members, many students were prevented from safely attending classes in the main library and leaving their dormitories in an apparent violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.” , they added.

Other Democrats, however, defended the demonstrations and accused school administrators of violating protesters’ rights.