Columbia University is reportedly cancelling its main commencement and graduation ceremony in light of the weeks of Palestine protests at the school and fears they could return. Instead, Columbia will hold small ceremonies over the next two weeks, as police will remain on the campus grounds until May 17th to prevent further violence from radical activist groups.
“Based on feedback from our students, we have decided to focus attention on our Class Days and school-level graduation ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, and to forego the university-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15,” said University officials in a written statement.
They acknowledged that the past few weeks were “incredibly difficult” for the school community, and that it was making this decision after speaking with students. “Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families,” officials said. “They are eager to cross the stage to applause and family pride and hear from their school’s invited guest speakers.”
The school already canceled in-person classes. Most of the graduation ceremonies will be held at the university’s sports complex roughly five miles north of the main campus. The University has said multiple times that the campus is currently considered a crime scene. The University’s president, Minouche Shafik, previously said she would go ahead with the on-campus ceremony, and called the police to clear out the protests on April 30th to make way for the graduation event.
As Valuetainment reported during the week of April 22nd, Columbia University began the nationwide college protest movement against the “colonialism” conducted by the Israeli state on Palestinian people, with students in Ohio, Texas, Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, California, and more following suit. Columbia students specifically demanded that the school pull its endowment investments out of any company aiding Israel in its war against Hamas, which has also resulted in many civilian deaths.
It later came out that these protestors were being organized by professional activist groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and Within Our Lifetime, all of which received funding from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
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A follow up report from Valuetainment took a look at the literature passed around by these groups, which featured detailed instructions on how to commit vandalism and fight with so-called “fascists.” It is not clear who authored the zine, titled How to Get Ready for a Demonstration: Tips and Tricks to Stay Safe and Dangerous in the Streets, but it likely disseminated from one of the above-mentioned groups backing the protestors.
Columbia students took over Hamilton Hall, smashing doors and windows, and refused to stand down when the authorities arrived. This occurred after Columbia had warned it would shut down the encampment and suspend any students that refused to leave. NYPD officers then began physically removing the protestors from the building and stragglers from the encampment, leading to clashes and scuffles. The protestors are facing charges of trespassing, disorderly conduct, and even burglary and criminal mischief. Over 100 pro-Palestine Columbia protestors have been arrested.
While the small graduations are taking place off campus, the NYPD are set to remain on campus premises until May 17th at the request of Columbia president Minouche Shafik, who claimed that the building occupation was “led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University.”
In November, Shafik had praised the students for continuing to protest despite being called antisemites and getting “doxed” by trucks that drove around campus displaying their names. “We are grateful for the persistence and perseverance of the students, and their families, in the face of this harassment,” Shafik wrote. “We are assembling available resources to support them and the staff and faculty who are by their side.” This followed a letter signed by over 100 Columbia professors defending students for voicing their support for Hamas’ “military action.”
Meanwhile, the frat bros at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) who saved the American flag from being taken down by protestors have amassed $516,000 on their GoFundMe page. They plan to “disburse the money in a manner that is faithful to our donors’ intent: throwing these great guys a world class party that will echo across eternity,” as well as give a portion of the proceeds to charities “that are consistent with the fundraiser’s patriotic theme.”
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics and business for VT and a regular guest on The Unusual Suspects. Follow Shane’s work here.
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