The notification comes on the last day of classes for the university and nearly two weeks ahead of graduation.
NEW YORK — Columbia University officials are threatening to suspend students in an ongoing pro-Palestinian encampment if they do not leave by Monday afternoon.
Following an impasse in negotiations, university leaders began informing students in writing Monday morning that they will not face suspension and will be eligible to complete the semester in good standing if they disperse by 2 p.m.
The ultimatum was documented in a form school officials passed out to students in the tent encampment, which has become the hub of national unrest over the war in Gaza.
“We urge those in the encampment to voluntarily disperse,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik wrote Monday in a university-wide email. “We are consulting with a broader group in our community to explore alternative internal options to end this crisis as soon as possible.”
The school has “already identified many students in the encampment,” and they must pledge to follow university rules and identify themselves to a Columbia official by that time, according to the the notice distributed at the encampment.
The institution plans to bar them from campus as well as residential buildings if they do not exit the encampment, which has over 100 tents and student protesters. Seniors who do not sign the paperwork will not be eligible to graduate.
The notification comes on the last day of classes for Columbia and nearly two weeks ahead of the university’s commencement ceremony, which is typically held in the same space on campus wherein which the protest is currently underway.
“We urge you to remove the encampment so that we do not deprive your fellow students, their families and friends of this momentous occasion,” the notice states, adding that the university will provide an alternative venue for protest following exams and commencement.
“If the encampment is not removed, we will need to initiate disciplinary procedures because of a number of violations of university policies,” the papers add. “These are policies you agreed to adhere to when you joined our community.”
As of noon Monday, dozens of students and over 100 tents remained in the encampment as a handful of university officials stood outside. Organizers urged demonstrators to do what was best for their personal circumstances, including concerns that international students could lose their academic visas, but emphasized “we will not be leaving.”
When asked “all in favor” of remaining in the encampment, hands flew up in what appeared to be unanimous agreement.
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Columbia threatens to suspend protesters after negotiations break down https://t.co/zymWzo2hqB
— POLITICO (@politico) April 29, 2024
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) April 29, 2024
The students (some out of idealism, others out of hateful bigotry) are doing what adolescents and young adults will sometimes do.
These faculty, however, are abdicating multiple responsibilities, as mentors, scholars, and officers of instruction of the university. https://t.co/HiG1Ybpqkc— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 29, 2024
Faculty should remind students that there are always consequences for actions and decisions, not protecting them from such consequences.
— Jen (Always Vote Blue!) Shultz 🇺🇦 (@11Shultz) April 29, 2024
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