College campuses see more protests
Columbia classes going virtual for student safety
Colleges across the nation were bracing for more demonstrations Tuesday after days of protests, campus closures and arrests swirling around U.S. support for Israel in its war on Hamas.
The protests fueled a national debate over free speech and student demonstrations amid growing unrest over the fate of Palestinians in Gaza and concerns for the safety of Jewish students at home. Dozens of protesters were arrested Monday during pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Yale University in Connecticut and at New York University in Manhattan.
Hundreds of students at Stanford University held a walkout, while students at the University of California, Berkeley erected a Free Palestine Encampment. Students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor set up a protest camp of about 25 tents with banners that read “Encampment For Gaza! Divest Now!” and “Long Live The Intifada.”
New York’s Columbia University, the epicenter of the demonstrations, announced that classes will provide a virtual learning option − where classroom technology permits – until spring semester ends May 10.
“Safety is our highest priority as we strive to support our students’ learning and all the required academic operations,” the university said in a statement.
The protests stem from the clash between Hamas and Israel, ignited by the militant group’s assault on Israeli communities Oct. 7 that killed almost 1,200 people. Israel’s subsequent bombardment and invasion of Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and fueled a dire humanitarian crisis.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called for calm in a social media post Tuesday, saying universities “are at their best when they promote the respectful exchange of diverse views and constructive debate.”
The Education department’s Office for Civil Rights interprets the civil rights laws it enforces consistent with free speech and other First Amendment rights, he said. “But we won’t tolerate hate or harassment that targets students because of who they are or who they’re perceived to be.”
New York University under fire
New York University’s Manhattan campus was quiet Tuesday following pro-Palestinian demonstrations that led to scores of arrests a day earlier. Outside the Stern School of Business, cameras were trained on a set of barricades while a man held a sign reading “Israel kills 1400 kids.”
Nearby, Nikhil Chirumamilla, 21, a senior studying dramatic writing, looked on. He saw the protests Monday but chose not to get involved when he spotted police in riot gear. Referencing an email NYU President Linda Mills sent out in the aftermath, he said her reasoning for the response seemed “flimsy.”
“I feel like the university response was a bit dramatic. I think it was peaceful protest,” Chirumamilla said, adding that the university is “clear on their position on the matter. They’re not as open to pro-Palestinian voices on campus.”
Mills said she brought in police to NYU after protesters breached barriers with “disorderly, disruptive and antagonizing behavior that interfered with the safety and security of our community.” She said many refused to leave.
NYU’s professor association issued a statement Tuesday calling much of the account false and blasted the administration for bringing in the police. The statement said the protest was loud, but there was no intimidation “other than by NYPD,” which the group said “made arrests in an especially rough manner” and pepper sprayed a student who was taking pictures.
NYPD did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Columbia at center of protests
Last week, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik trekked to Washington to face a salvo of tough questions from Republican lawmakers about reports of antisemitism on Columbia’s campus. A similar hearing in December featuring the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania ultimately cost them their jobs.
While Shafik was in Washington, students set up protest camps at the center of campus and demanded the university sever all ties to Israel. The following morning, Shafik called in New York City police to clear out the demonstrators, and officers arrested more than 100 people.
Members of the Columbia University Department of Sociology say they were alarmed by the university’s actions. Police have said there was no credible threat to safety from the campus protests.
The group issued a statement Tuesday saying the suspensions of students arrested was “irregular, unnecessary and resting on shaky legal ground.” The educators called on the school to reverse the suspensions and allow the students to return to the campus and to classes.
Police helicopters part of daily life
Students also want school suspensions to be revoked for some who received them after campus demonstrations in recent months.
Columbia graduate student Layla Saliba said pro-Palestinian student groups set up tents on campus because they felt protest rallies and walk-outs were ignored by administrators. Saliba, who is with the group Columbia University Apartheid Divestment, said multiple student groups – which include many Jewish students – want Columbia to withdraw its investments in companies that profit from the war in Gaza.
Saliba, 24, said three to four police helicopters, as well as police drones, fly over the encampment areas daily. “I don’t like it, it makes me feel like I’m a zoo animal,” she said. “Especially because we’re not doing anything wrong.”