Columbia University is grappling with the fallout from its president’s promise to Congress that she would crack down on unsanctioned protests, and her decision to ask the police to clear an encampment on campus, resulting in the arrests of more than 100 students earlier this month.
Protests on campus have endured and escalated, with demonstrators seizing Hamilton Hall early Tuesday.
The university, which had already limited access to its campus in Upper Manhattan, said Tuesday that it would allow only students who live in one of seven dorms on campus or employees who provide essential services through its gates.
A fraught round of protests has rocked the university for nearly two weeks, with demonstrators building (and rebuilding) an encampment, recriminations over the summoning of the police to campus on April 18, and accusations that Columbia has effectively allowed protesters, in some instances, to celebrate Hamas and target Jewish students for intimidation.
Last week, the university started offering hybrid classes, an acknowledgment that the disputes at the center of campus tension were unlikely to be resolved before the end of the school year.
Organizations:
Columbia University, Hamilton Hall
Locations:
Upper Manhattan, Columbia