Pro-Palestinian student protesters were unable to reach an agreement with Columbia University officials, as reported by the university’s president on Monday.
Administrators have been engaged in negotiations with demonstrators throughout the past week, in response to the protests that have disrupted the campus. The demonstrators have been demanding that the college divest from Israel. As a result of the ongoing turmoil, the institution has made the decision to switch to virtual learning. This has led to dozens of arrests.
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Columbia’s embattled president, Nemat Minouche Shafik, expressed regret on Monday as she stated, “Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement.”
In the letter, it was stated that the university will not divest from Israel. However, they have expressed their willingness to accelerate the review process for new proposals with the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing.
Ms. Shafik encouraged the students who have established a camp on the college grounds in upper Manhattan to disperse voluntarily.
According to her, the university is currently seeking input from a wider range of individuals within the community to find alternative solutions and resolve this crisis as quickly as possible.
Protesters were given a clear deadline by the university to vacate the premises by 2pm EST on Monday under the threat of suspension.
According to the Columbia Spectator, university officials have requested student protesters to voluntarily leave campus by 2pm and to identify themselves. Additionally, the school is asking these protesters to sign a form, pledging their commitment to adhere to the university’s policies until June 2025 or until the date of their degree conferral. The university promises not to hold the protest against any student who agrees to these terms.
The University has already identified numerous students in the encampment, so it is crucial for you to understand this. If you fail to identify yourself and sign the form before leaving, you will not be able to complete the semester in good standing. The university statement emphasized that if you do not depart by 2pm, you will be suspended pending further investigation.
University officials have announced plans to create a new location for demonstrations once the exam period and commencement ceremonies have finished. The current presence of an unauthorized encampment is seen as detrimental to the sense of community on campus.
The protesters were urged by the school’s president to take into account their fellow classmates’ upcoming commencement ceremonies. It was emphasized that many students who will be graduating this year did not have the opportunity to celebrate their high school graduations due to the pandemic.
“We also want to ensure that thousands of students and their families and friends can still enjoy a graduation celebration,” Ms. Shafik emphasized. “It’s important to remember that many students in this graduating class were unable to have a proper celebration when they finished high school due to the pandemic. Additionally, a significant number of these students are the first in their families to achieve a university degree.”
The university administration initially set a midnight deadline on April 22 for the protesters to come to an agreement or face eviction.
The students who are taking charge of the Gaza protest have also requested the school to pardon the students who faced disciplinary actions due to their participation in the protest. However, Ms. Shafik’s letter did not mention anything about addressing this particular demand.
Ms Shafik has faced widespread criticism for her actions. Both protesters and faculty have expressed their disapproval of her decision to call the police to disperse the encampment on 18 April, which ultimately led to the arrest of over 100 protesters. Furthermore, her overall management of the protest has also been heavily criticized.
Critics of the Gaza protesters, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have strongly criticized Ms. Shafik. During his visit to Columbia’s campus last week, the Republican leader condemned the protesters and demanded Ms. Shafik’s resignation if she did not promptly suppress the demonstrations.
During his address on April 24th, he joined his colleagues in calling on President Shafik to resign if she is unable to restore order to the current chaos.
Ms Shafik disregarded the call to step down, and the university engaged in ongoing negotiations with the students. A university spokesperson informed Reuters that they would refrain from providing any additional remarks regarding Ms Shafik’s statement.
