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July 21, 2024As pro-Palestinian demonstrations rocked college campuses this spring with protests of the war in Gaza, many university administrators found themselves eager to quell the action however they could. When Columbia University called in the police in April to break up an encampment, it was the first major detainment of protesters. Since then, more than 3,100 people have been arrested or detained on campuses across the country. Some face more serious charges, like resisting arrest. But in the months since, many of the charges have been dropped, even as some students are facing additional consequences, like being barred from their campuses or having their diplomas withheld.

Organizations: Columbia University Locations: Gaza

Brent Jacquette knows a thing or two about college sports. A former collegiate soccer player and coach in Pennsylvania who is now an executive at a consulting firm for athletic recruiting, he’s well aware of issues surrounding pay for college athletes. But even for an industry veteran like Mr. Jacquette, the news of the N.C.A.A.’s staggering settlement in a class-action antitrust lawsuit on Thursday came as a surprise, with more than a little anxiety. The first words that came to mind, he said, were “trepidation” and “confusion.”And he was not alone in feeling unsettled. Interviews, statements and social media posts mere hours after the settlement was announced showed that many were uncertain and concerned about what the future of collegiate sports holds.

Persons: Brent Jacquette, Jacquette, ’, Phil DiStefano, Rick George Organizations: University of Colorado Locations: Pennsylvania, University of Colorado Boulder

☆ Giuliani Is Formally Notified of His Indictment in Arizona Election Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rudolph W. Giuliani was served with a notice of his indictment in the Arizona election interference case on Friday night, becoming the last of the 18 defendants to receive the notice after nearly a month of unsuccessful attempts by the authorities. The indictment against Mr. Giuliani, Donald J. Trump’s former personal lawyer, and others includes conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges related to their attempts to change the results of the 2020 election in the state in favor of Mr. Trump, according to prosecutors. Among the other defendants are Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, along with all of the fake electors who acted on Mr. Trump’s behalf to keep him in power despite his defeat there. They waited to serve him outside as he left,” Mr. Taylor said. Mr. Giuliani’s spokesman, Ted Goodman, confirmed in a statement on Saturday that Mr. Giuliani was served “after the party, after guests had left and as he was walking to the car.”

Persons: Rudolph W, Giuliani, Mr, Donald J, Trump, Mark Meadows, Richie Taylor, Kris Mayes, ” Mr, Taylor, Giuliani’s, Ted Goodman Organizations: Mr, White House Locations: Arizona, Palm Beach County, Fla

☆ Columbia’s President Urges University to ‘Rebuild Community’ in Video
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Columbia University’s president, Nemat Shafik, released a video message late on Friday, following several weeks of tension over Gaza war protests on campus that have spawned a wave of antiwar activism at universities across the country. Police officers in riot gear arrested more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University. It was the second time in two weeks that Columbia officials had asked the police to enter the Manhattan campus to remove demonstrators. On April 18, another 100 or so Columbia students were arrested. But the video released on Friday was the first one by Dr. Shafik released on the school’s Vimeo page in months.

Persons: Nemat Shafik, Shafik Organizations: Columbia, New York Police Department, Police, Columbia University Locations: Gaza, Manhattan, Columbia

College Democrats of America, the student organization of the Democratic Party, endorsed pro-Palestinian campus protests on Tuesday and called on President Biden to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. Overnight from Monday into Tuesday, protesters at Columbia took over a building on campus. “As College Democrats, we are committed to the re-election of President Biden and Democrats across down-ballot races in every corner of our nation,” the statement said. “We’re realizing that our duty as College Democrats is to be representatives of college students to the party, rather than vice versa,” Mr. Muralitharan said. And throughout the nation, we’re witnessing Joe Biden, Democrats across the ballot, losing scores of young voters over this issue.”The statement was written largely by the organization’s Muslim Caucus.

Persons: Biden, ”, “ MAGA, “, Mr, —, Netanyahu, Sunjay Muralitharan, ” Mr, Muralitharan, Joe Biden, Hasan Pyarali, Biden’s, Pyarali, Donald J, Trump, won’t, Joshua Martin, you’re, we’re, Martin, Indiana University —, ’ Organizations: Democrats of America, Democratic Party, College Democrats, Columbia University, Students, Columbia, Protesters, Portland State University and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, “ MAGA Republicans, Jewish, “, Democratic National Committee, University of California, Muslim Caucus, Wake Forest University, Mr, College Democrats ’, University of Houston, Hamas, College Democrats of, Yale, New York University, Indiana University Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, San Diego, Palestine, Biden’s Israel, College Democrats of America

Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 0:44 - 0:00 transcript Columbia Protesters Occupy Building on Campus People inside barricaded the doors of Hamilton Hall with furniture. “Palestine will live forever.” “Go away, yo.” “Free, free Palestine.” “Free, free, free Palestine.” “Shut it down.” “Palestine will be free.” “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” People inside barricaded the doors of Hamilton Hall with furniture. Credit Credit... Bing Guan for The New York TimesOutside the neoclassical building, protesters, many wearing helmets, safety glasses, gloves and masks, barricaded the entrance. Image Student protesters marching around the encampment on campus at Columbia University on Tuesday. So far, at least, a core of student protesters has vowed to stay put.

Persons: Columbia wasn’t, “, ”, Bing Guan, Alexander Hamilton, Bob Day, Columbia’s, ” Ben Chang, Sueda, ” “ We’ve, Leanne Abraham, Bing Guan Elga Castro, Castro, Chris Eisgruber, Nemat, Anna Betts, Eryn Davis, Tracey Tully, Karla Marie Sanford, John Yoon, Mike Baker Organizations: Police, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, Portland State University, Hamilton Hall, Columbia, Columbia Protesters, People, Hall, ”, New York Times, Treasury, Boeing, Portland Police Bureau, Columbia University, ., New York Times Columbia, Police Department, Columbia University Faculty, Broadway Low Library Columbia University, West, St . Columbia University New York, Butler Library Amsterdam, 114th, 114th St . Columbia University New York, Barnard College, New York University, Princeton University, Clio Hall, Princeton, Rutgers University’s Locations: Hamilton, Columbia, California, Oregon, Manhattan, Palestine, ”, Portland, Gaza . Columbia, St, St . Columbia University New York City, Butler, 114th St, Spanish, Gaza, New Jersey, Brunswick

On Today’s Episode:With Israel Poised to Invade Rafah, Negotiators Try Again for Cease-Fire Deal, by Isabel Kershner and Edward WongCrackdowns at 4 College Protests Lead to More Than 200 Arrests, by Anna Betts, Matthew Eadie and Nicholas Bogel-BurroughsTrump and DeSantis Meet for First Time Since Bruising Primary, by Maggie Haberman and Nicholas Nehamas

Persons: Isabel Kershner, Edward Wong Crackdowns, Anna Betts, Matthew Eadie, Nicholas Bogel, Burroughs Trump, Maggie Haberman, Nicholas Nehamas Locations: Rafah

Nearly 200 protesters were arrested on Saturday at Northeastern University, Arizona State University and Indiana University, according to officials, as colleges across the country struggle to quell growing pro-Palestinian demonstrations and encampments on campus. More than 700 protesters have been arrested on U.S. campuses since April 18, when Columbia University had the New York Police Department clear a protest encampment there. In several cases, most of those who were arrested have been released. At Northeastern in Boston, protesters had set up an encampment on the campus’s Centennial Common this week that drew more than 100 supporters. The administration had asked the protesters to leave, but many students did not.

Organizations: Northeastern University, Arizona State University and Indiana University, Columbia University, New York Police Department, Northeastern Locations: Boston

☆ Columbia’s University Senate Calls for an Investigation Into the Administration
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Stephanie Saul | Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Columbia University’s senate voted on Friday to approve a resolution that called for an investigation into the school’s leadership, accusing the administration of violating established protocols, undermining academic freedom, jeopardizing free inquiry and breaching the due process rights of both students and professors. The university’s president, Nemat Shafik, has been under attack for her decision last week to summon the New York Police Department to campus, resulting in the arrest of more than 100 student protesters, and for her earlier congressional testimony, in which professors accused her of capitulating to the demands of congressional Republicans over free speech and the disciplining of students and professors. The resolution, adopted by a vote of 62-14, with three abstentions, fell short of a proposal earlier in the week to censure Dr. Shafik, which many senators worried could be perceived as yielding to Republican lawmakers who had called for her resignation over her handling of antisemitism claims. The senate resolution was based partly on a damaging report by the senate executive committee, which accused Dr. Shafik’s administration of engaging in “many actions and decisions that have harmed” the institution — including the hiring of an “aggressive” private investigation firm.

Persons: Nemat Shafik, capitulating, Shafik, Shafik’s Organizations: Columbia, New York Police Department, Republicans

Police officers swept onto the ordinarily serene campus of Emory University in Atlanta after demonstrators erected tents on Thursday morning, leading to the latest clash in a pro-Palestinian protest movement that has cascaded across American campuses this week. As the demonstrators at Emory screamed, officers wrestled with protesters on the ground and escorted others away. From a few dozen yards away, onlookers stared and recorded the scene with their cellphones. The authorities did not immediately say how many people had been arrested in Atlanta, but across the country, more than 400 protesters have been taken into police custody since April 18, when the arrests of more than 100 protesters at Columbia University in New York set off a wave of student activism nationwide. University administrators and law enforcement officials have responded by arresting students, removing encampments and threatening academic consequences as some Jewish students have expressed concern for their safety, and some politicians have demanded a crackdown on the growing demonstrations.

Organizations: Emory University, Emory, Columbia University, University Locations: Atlanta, New York

The call came in around 4 p.m., while Adam Abo Sheriah was still at work in his pharmacy in New Jersey. It took a few minutes for Adam to understand: His uncle’s home in Gaza City had been hit by Israeli airstrikes. His parents and his brother’s wife and children were inside, taking shelter after their own homes were bombed. Also struck nearby was a block of multifamily buildings in a neighborhood of Gaza City, home to many relatives and their families, who were hunkered down together. His mind swirling with questions, he got in his car and started driving nowhere in particular.

Persons: Adam Abo Sheriah, Adam, Adam couldn’t Locations: New Jersey, Gaza City, Paterson

☆ Pro-Palestinian Encampments Surface at Campuses Nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Brown on Wednesday became the latest university to threaten students with punishment if they did not leave a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on campus. The school said that 90 students would face “conduct proceedings” if they did not clear out. The warning followed arrests of demonstrators this week at other universities across the country, including Yale, New York University, Ohio State and the University of Minnesota. Encampments have cropped up nationwide since the arrest of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University last week, with many students demanding that their schools end financial ties to Israel and weapons manufacturers. Here is where encampments and protests have been reported, including by local news, student newspapers and social media.

Persons: Brown Organizations: Wednesday, Yale , New York University , Ohio State, University of Minnesota, Columbia University, New York Times Locations: Yale ,, Israel

☆ Student Editorial Boards Rebuke College Officials for Protest Decisions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Anna Betts | Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As protests over the Israel-Hamas war have erupted at U.S. universities in recent months, student journalists have been reporting daily as their campuses have been embroiled in debates over free speech, university investments and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Some student newspapers’ editorial boards have offered assessments of their campus disputes. They have opined on how administrators are responding to protesters and defended the rights of students to speak out. They have been particularly vocal about the threats of harassment and doxxing, which many editorial boards have argued were stifling free speech on campus. Here are a few of the editorials that have been written by student newspapers in the last couple of weeks as tensions have escalated at several campuses.

Locations: Israel, U.S

☆ What to Know About State Laws That Limit or Ban D.E.I. Efforts at Colleges
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In recent decades, American universities have expanded their diversity programs to address concerns about the underrepresentation of minority groups on campus. But supporters of such efforts say they are necessary to promote diversity and help students from various backgrounds succeed on campus. For some universities, the opposition to diversity programs comes at a challenging time, as they face an incoming student shortage and skepticism of the value of a college degree at today’s prices. And after the Supreme Court’s ban on race-conscious admissions last year, some educators are even more concerned about diversity on their campuses. Here’s what to know about the efforts to limit D.E.I.

Organizations: Republican

☆ Columbia Students Arrested Over Campus Rally May Face Other Consequences
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Troy Closson | Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Many of the more than 100 Columbia University and Barnard College students who were arrested after refusing to leave a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus on Thursday woke up to a chilly new reality this week: Columbia said that their IDs would soon stop working, and some of them would not be able to finish the semester. The students who were arrested were released with summonses. The university said all of the 100 or so students involved in the protest had been informed that they were suspended. For some of those students, that means they must vacate their student housing, with just weeks before the semester ends. Yet whatever the consequences, several of the students said in interviews that they were determined to keep protesting Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.

Organizations: Columbia University, Barnard College, Columbia Locations: Gaza

☆ Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Daughter Suspended for Involvement in Columbia Protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Sharon Otterman | Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, is among several Barnard students who have been suspended for participating in a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University. The camp, which includes dozens of tents pitched on the campus’s South Lawn in protest against Israeli actions in Gaza, has created a standoff between administrators and students on the Ivy League campus. Ms. Hirsi posted on social media around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday that she was one of three students suspended so far for participating in the protest, which began on Wednesday, the day the university’s president, Nemat Shafik, appeared before Congress to discuss antisemitism on campus. At the congressional hearing, Dr. Shafik told lawmakers that she would enforce rules about unauthorized protests and antisemitism. Ms. Omar, who is on the committee that held the hearing and who did not mention that her daughter was among the pro-Palestinian protesters, was one of several Democrats who questioned Ms. Shafik about her actions toward Palestinian and Muslim students.

Persons: Isra Hirsi, Ilhan Omar, Barnard, Hirsi, Nemat Shafik, Shafik, Omar Organizations: Columbia University, Ivy League Locations: Minnesota, Gaza

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last year, students at scores of colleges and universities across the United States have come out to protest in support of Palestinians. As the war in Gaza has escalated, universities have been caught in an often vitriolic debate over how to handle the protests, which many Jewish students and alumni say have often veered into antisemitism and instilled fear on campus. University leaders have also faced pressure from Republican lawmakers demanding they do more to quash speech that they say encourages violence against Jews. Demonstrators and their faculty supporters say that these demands are intended to suppress their political speech and support for the Palestinian cause. Several institutions have cracked down on pro-Palestinian protests and encampments.

Organizations: Hamas, University, Columbia Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza, New York City

☆ What Happened to Damages That O.J. Simpson Owed to the Victims’ Families?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than 25 years ago, O.J. Simpson was found liable in civil court for the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, her friend, and was ordered to pay more than $33 million to their families. While it is still unclear where things stand with the Brown Simpson family, the Goldman family said its pursuit will not end despite the death of Mr. Simpson on Wednesday. Mr. Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Ms. Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in the 1995 criminal trial, but the civil jury in 1997 concluded that he “willingly and wrongfully” caused their deaths, and the unanimous decision included $25 million in punitive damages. Of the total, according to court documents filed in 2022, the Goldman family had received from Mr. Simpson around $132,000.

Persons: Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson, Ronald Goldman, Brown Simpson, Goldman, David Cook, Fred Goldman, Ronald’s, Cook, Simpson “, ” Mr, Ms, “, ” Organizations: ”

☆ What the Bridge Meant to Baltimore
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Anna Betts | Joanna Daemmrich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Blue-collar workers crossed it. And couples were known to get engaged near it. Completed in 1977, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a practical, final link to the beltway of roads that circled Baltimore Harbor, a much-needed solution to reduce Harbor Tunnel congestion. For some, it symbolized the working-class communities around it — for others, the city itself. And the Key Bridge was simply a presence in people’s everyday lives.

Persons: Francis Scott Key Organizations: Teenagers Locations: Baltimore, Fort McHenry, British

☆ Woman Who Was Charged With Murder After Abortion Sues Texas Prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A woman in Texas who was falsely charged with murder over a self-induced abortion in 2022 has filed a lawsuit against the local prosecutor’s office and its leaders, seeking more than $1 million in damages. Lizelle Gonzalez was arrested in April 2022 in Starr County, near the southeastern border with Mexico, and charged with murder after using the drug misoprostol to self-induce an abortion, 19 weeks into her pregnancy. Self-induced abortions can refer to those performed outside of professional medical care, including the use of abortion pills. Under Texas law at the time, abortions after six weeks were illegal, but pregnant women are exempt from criminal prosecution. (Health care professionals who provide abortion procedures and medication, and others who help someone get an abortion, can still be liable.)

Persons: Lizelle Gonzalez, Ms, Gonzalez, Lizelle Herrera, Gocha Ramirez, Alexandria Lynn Barrera Locations: Texas, Starr County, Mexico

“The tankers and cargo ships of 1950 aren’t the tankers and cargo ships of today,” said James Salmon, a spokesman for the Delaware River and Bay Authority. “It’s going to do a number on them,” he said of a modern ship and the hazard it poses to a bridge like the one in Baltimore. Image The new bridge ship collision protection system project on the Delaware Memorial Bridge will install eight stone-filled “dolphin” cylinders, each measuring 80 feet in diameter. Credit... Delaware River and Bay AuthorityThe situation with the Key Bridge is “unique,” said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which represents state transportation departments. A protection system was subsequently built around the new pier.

Persons: ”, James Salmon, Francis Scott Key, Michael Rubino, don’t, Joseph Ahlstrom, It’s, “ It’s, Dali, hurtled, Jim Tymon, ” John Snyder, Pete Buttigieg, “, Paul, Gerald Desmond Bridge, Matt Gresham, Joong Kim, Michael Forsythe Organizations: Bay Authority, Port, SUNY Maritime College, New York State, American Association of State, Transportation, National Transportation Safety, Sunshine Skyway, Administration, Baltimore Sun, Union, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Liberty University Locations: Delaware, Bay, Baltimore, Port of Los Angeles, . Delaware, Maryland, Tampa Bay, Tampa, U.S, Minnesota, Union Pacific, St, New York, Bayonne, New Jersey, Staten Island, Long Beach, Calif, New Orleans, Mississippi, Port of New Orleans

☆ Indiana Law Requires Professors to Promote ‘Intellectual Diversity’ or Face Penalties
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Campbell Robertson | Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A new law in Indiana requires professors in public universities to foster a culture of “intellectual diversity” or face disciplinary actions, including termination for even those with tenure, the latest in an effort by Republicans to assert more control over what is taught in classrooms. The backlash to the legislation, which Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, signed March 13, has been substantial. Hundreds wrote letters or testified at hearings, and faculty senates at multiple institutions had urged the legislature to reject the bill, condemning it as government overreach and a blow to academic free speech. “The whole point of tenure is to protect academic freedom,” said Irene Mulvey, the president of the American Association of University Professors, who described the law as “thought policing.”

Persons: Spencer Deery, Eric Holcomb, overreach, ”, Irene Mulvey Organizations: Republican, American Association of University Locations: Indiana

☆ At Oakland University, Students and Alumni Bask in the N.C.A.A. Spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Anna Betts | Ryan Patrick Hooper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Before Thursday night, if you were not familiar with Oakland University, you were not alone. Tournament, were asking if “that Oakland was in California” or the Michigan suburb of Rochester. “If people didn’t know who the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies were before last night, they surely know now,” Mr. Hendley said. For all but perhaps close followers of the university, a brief introduction may be in order: It was created in 1957 through a donation to establish a satellite location for Michigan State University. At first, the campus was known as Michigan State University-Oakland, but in 1970, Oakland became an independent university.

Persons: John Hendley, Melissa, Mr, Hendley Organizations: Oakland University, Oakland, reveled, Oakland University Golden Grizzlies, Michigan State University, Michigan State University - Oakland Locations: Detroit, California, Michigan, Rochester, Florida, Oakland

The ruling was not related to a defense effort to disqualify Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., who is leading the case. Count 5 concerned a call that Mr. Trump made to David Ralston, who was then the speaker of the Georgia House. During that conversation Mr. Trump pressed Mr. Ralston to call a special legislative session to appoint new electors. Mr. Trump and his former personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, had faced the most charges, at 13 apiece. They include Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, and John Eastman, a legal architect of the plot to deploy fake electors in swing states that Mr. Trump lost.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Scott McAfee, Fani, Willis, “, importuned, Brad Raffensperger, ”, McAfee, Steven H, Count, Raffensperger, Joseph R, Biden, David Ralston, Ralston, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Anthony Michael Kreis, Kreis, Donald Trump, ” Norman Eisen, Eisen, Smith’s, Don Samuel, Ray Smith, Brian Kemp of, Nathan Wade Organizations: Fulton Superior Court, Prosecutors, Count, Trump, White House, Georgia State University, Act . Defense, Gov, Republican Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Fulton, Fulton County ,, Brian Kemp of Georgia

☆ Dry Winds Could Spread Texas Wildfires Over the Weekend
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wildfires continued to burn out of control in northern Texas on Friday morning, and officials warned that warm, windy and dry weather was expected to return over the weekend that could fan the flames. The National Weather Service forecast “critical fire weather conditions” in the region on Saturday and Sunday, and urged residents to refrain from outdoor activities that might generate sparks or flames over the weekend, which includes Texas Independence Day on Saturday. A fire weather watch was posted for Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening, covering the Texas Panhandle and nearby parts of Oklahoma. Five fires were still active in the Panhandle on Friday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Smokehouse Creek fire has charred at least 1,075,000 acres of land, making it the largest wildfire on record in Texas history.

Organizations: National Weather Service, Texas Independence, Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma ., Texas, M, Service Locations: Texas, Oklahoma, Panhandle

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