An independent student newspaper serving Columbia University, Morningside Heights, and West Harlem since 1877. @CUspectrum | @CUSpecSports | @theeyemag
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The Columbia College student body overwhelmingly passed a referendum asking the University to divest from Israel, cancel the opening of the Tel Aviv Global Center, and end the Tel Aviv University dual degree program.
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“So admin, what are you going to do?” the Spectator editorial board asks in criticism of Shafik’s handling of campus activism following her April 17 congressional hearing. “Suspend more students until your entire student population falls into line?” l8r.it/HBc2
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“The NYPD cleared our campus only minutes before mass arrests because it wanted to prevent the press from bearing witness to the brutality police would enact against our peers,” Spectator’s editor in chief and managing editor write.
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BREAKING: University President Minouche Shafik resigned from her post on Wednesday, Shafik wrote in an email to the Columbia community. The announcement marks the end of a tumultuous year in the position.
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Barnard faculty overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in President Laura Rosenbury on Tuesday with 77 percent of respondents in favor—the first recorded instance of a Barnard president ever receiving such a vote.
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BREAKING: Dozens of protesters occupied Hamilton Hall in the early hours of Tuesday morning, moving metal gates to barricade the doors, blocking entrances with wooden tables and chairs, and zip-tying doors shut.
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Over 1,400 academics from around the world have signed a letter committing to an academic boycott of Columbia in solidarity with protesters demanding that the University divest from Israel.
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Columbia temporarily suspended Business School assistant professor Shai Davidai’s campus access, University spokesperson Millie Wert confirmed in a statement to Spectator on Tuesday.
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Barnard and Columbia issued interim suspensions to four student journalists who covered a Wednesday pro-Palestinian protest in Butler Library, according to emails obtained by Spectator. Columbia lifted its suspension, but the Barnard suspensions remain. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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A 57-year-old man drove a car into a crowd of protesters on Tuesday at a picket organized by CUAD outside a Barnard trustee’s home, an NYPD spokesperson said. The driver hit and injured one protester, and both were arrested alongside another protester.
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BREAKING: The Union Theological Seminary announced on Thursday that its board of trustees endorsed a policy supporting the institution’s divestment from “companies substantially and intractably benefiting from the war in Palestine.”
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BREAKING: CUAD announced Wednesday that it will not continue to engage in negotiations with members of the administration “until there is a written commitment that the administration will not be unleashing the NYPD or the National Guard on its students.”
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As admitted students weekend continued, the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” entered its fifth day on the South Lawn. Two signs hung on the north end of the lawn read “Admitted Students Enroll in Revolution.” columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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“To Columbia—an institution that laid the groundwork for my abduction—and to its student body, who must not abdicate their responsibility to resist repression … I ask you, who is truly at risk here?” writes Mahmoud Khalil, SIPA ’24, in his op-ed. columbiaspectator.com/opinio…
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Tracking ID swipes. Reviewing CCTV footage. Hiring private investigators. These are some of the ways Columbia and Barnard have employed surveillance to identify and discipline student protesters, according to interviews and documents.
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In collaboration with @NYMag, @ColumbiaSpec created the magazine’s new cover package, providing an intimate look at the crisis on the ground at Columbia University that has gripped the nation. Writing and photography was done entirely by our staff.
🔗: nymag.com/intelligencer/tags…
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Hundreds of faculty and staff across Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College have signed onto a strike, pledging to “only do work that directly serves students” until the NYPD is removed from campus, faculty members announced in a Friday press conference.
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BREAKING: The University suspended the Columbia chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace on Friday following a Thursday walkout that drew hundreds of protesters to Low Steps. This is a developing story. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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BREAKING: Dozens of students set up tents on South Lawn at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning, pledging to occupy the space until the University divests from companies with ties to Israel. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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Six students reported verbal and physical harassment for wearing keffiyehs at the School of General Studies’ annual gala on April 20. The students reported having their keffiyehs ripped off and being insulted, flipped off, and punched.
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A coalition of untenured faculty members share a letter of solidarity with students. “We want to assure you that we believe Barnard, Teachers College, and Columbia belong to you, not to the administrators. You are the reason we are proud to teach here.”
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“While the future of ‘our community’ is uncertain, right now, one thing is clear: ‘Our community’ is not defined by our administration,” writes the Columbia Daily Spectator’s editorial board.
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Detained Jewish Columbia students held a press conference on Tuesday in front of the President’s House to restate their demands for the University and speak to how their Jewish heritage informs their decisions to stand in solidarity with Gaza.
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Barnard alums delivered a letter Monday morning to Barnard President Laura Rosenbury and her administration. The letter, signed by over 1,000 alumni, demands that Barnard “reinstate all students who have been suspended in relation to their protesting.”
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During their walkout, the student workers union entered President Bollinger’s Freedom of Speech and Press class.
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BREAKING: The Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced the immediate cancellation of $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia on Friday for “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
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“Columbia students should be able to make their voices heard and participate in political activism without experiencing a targeted smear campaign from a foreign entity,” Layla Saliba, a student in the School of Social Work, writes in her new op-ed.
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The Office of Institutional Equity accused Palestinian student activists Maryam Alwan, GS ’25, and Layla Saliba, SSW ’25, of discriminatory harassment in a January disciplinary notice for their alleged participation in writing a Spectator op-ed.
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BREAKING: Columbia to bargain with grad student union, ending years-long struggle over union recognition columbiaspectator.com/main/2…
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Barnard has suspended at least 53 students and evicted those in college housing following their alleged participation in the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on South Lawn, according to a document obtained by Spectator. l8r.it/EKY0
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A hundred and two faculty members of the Barnard chapter of the American Association for University Professors unanimously issued a vote “no confidence” in Barnard President Laura Rosenbury on Monday.
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BREAKING: Top administrator Gerald Rosberg confirmed on Friday that senior administrators, without input from the University Senate, unilaterally revised the University events policies that were cited in the SJP and JVP suspension announcement. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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Typically held outside Butler Library the evening before the start of final exams, the biannual “primal scream” saw students gather in front of the President’s House late Thursday night. The gathering quickly morphed into a protest.
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BREAKING: The NYCLU announced in a Friday news release that it is prepared to sue Columbia if it does not reinstate and reverse the “unlawful” suspensions of the Columbia chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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Columbia has joined Harvard and MIT in suing ICE for regulations that deny visas to international students taking entirely online course loads. Columbia enrolls the highest number of international students in the Ivy League. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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Columbia cheerleaders take a knee during the national anthem as the homecoming game against Penn kicks off
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BREAKING: Cardboard cutout of University President Lee Bollinger has been stolen from College Walk at around 3:12 am. Unknown culprit sprinted southwest.
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Protesters were allegedly sprayed with a hazardous chemical while attending a pro-Palestinian “divestment now” rally on Friday, according to nearly two dozen students who reported a foul smell, physical symptoms, or property damage after the protest.
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BREAKING: A 19-year-old female suspect allegedly assaulted a 24-year-old Israeli General Studies student with a stick in front of Butler Library around 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, the student and a New York Police Department spokesperson told Spectator. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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“Your billions of dollars are failing to conceal the rotting stench of moral decay,” writes Layla Saliba, SSW ’25, criticizing the University administration’s “silence about and indifference to violence towards students who support Palestine.”
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“Our student protesters have shown, no matter the individual cost, that we will keep fighting until and after our University is truly liberated,” Columbia University Apartheid Divest writes. “Columbia will divest, and we want YOU to join our fight.”
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Yusuf Hafez, CC ’24, criticizes the University’s refusal to assist him after he was publicly doxxed. Highlighting a trend in administrative inaction, he writes, “Muslim and Arab students were not being seen because Columbia refused to see them.”
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BREAKING: Student protesters occupying Hamilton Hall will face expulsion, University spokesperson Ben Chang wrote in a Tuesday press release.
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BREAKING: Columbia has accelerated the graduation of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons class of 2020 to assist the growing demand for physicians and clinical staff. Next month, all graduates will have the option to be employed by the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
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Spectator spoke to six Jewish students who were accepted to Columbia or Barnard and declined their admissions offers, citing incidents of antisemitism and on-campus protests. Each of them said that they felt that Columbia would be unwelcoming.
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BREAKING: University President Minouche Shafik announced a midnight deadline to reach an agreement in ongoing talks with student organizers before consideration of “alternative options” for clearing “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.” l8r.it/Tl7G
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The University does not plan to call the NYPD back to campus, University President Minouche Shafik, board of trustees co-chairs Claire Shipman, CC ’86, SIPA ’94, and David Greenwald, Law ’83, and University Provost Angela Olinto announced in an email.
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Columbia’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors called for a vote of no confidence in University President Minouche Shafik and other top University leadership, according to a Thursday news release.
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BREAKING: Columbia Commencement ceremonies, initially scheduled for May 15, have been canceled, and Class Days will take place at the Baker Athletics Complex and other off-campus locations, according to a Monday announcement. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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BREAKING: Carman Hall and Lerner Hall are being evacuated due to a bomb threat, Columbia announced. The University advises that people stay away from those buildings until further notice.
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Students accused of disrupting Tommy Robinson speech banned from future CUCR events columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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UPDATE: Protesters built a lifesize cardboard replica of an Mk-84 bomb, decorated with photos of top University leadership. Throughout the day, several alumni entered the “Revolt for Rafah” encampment and spoke with protesters.
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The Faculty of Arts and Sciences passed a vote of no confidence in University President Minouche Shafik, Arts and Sciences Dean Amy Hungerford wrote in an email to faculty on Thursday morning.
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Over 200 independent student workers pledged to withhold their labor—including submitting final grades— until the University grants amnesty to those disciplined for involvement in pro-Palestinian activity and permanently removes the NYPD from campus.
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Faculty in the Arts and Sciences began a vote of no confidence in University President Minouche Shafik on Wednesday, a move brought to the body by the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
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UPDATE: Rosberg confirmed that the decision to suspend SJP and JVP came from “senior leadership of the University,” including University President Minouche Shafik.
BREAKING: Top administrator Gerald Rosberg confirmed on Friday that senior administrators, without input from the University Senate, unilaterally revised the University events policies that were cited in the SJP and JVP suspension announcement. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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“I realized this year that Muslims do not matter to Columbia. And while that remains true, I cannot let myself be a diversity token for this service,” Noreen Mayat, BC ’24, writes on why she resigned from speaking at this year’s Baccalaureate Service.
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The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday opened an investigation into Columbia over alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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The Eye surveyed 37 arrested students and interviewed four, who described a community of students making complicated financial and personal risk calculations before the first arrests of a global student protest movement.
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“No American college student’s feelings should be centered over Palestinian lives,” Dalia Darazim, CC ’27, writes in a new op-ed. “There are no universities left in Gaza, and Columbia’s investments ensured this happened.”
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“We, as members of the Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine chapter of Columbia, Barnard and Teachers College, are outraged by the unwarranted, relentless, and violent disciplining and harassment of our students,” the coalition writes in a new op-ed.
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The Manhattan district attorney’s office on Wednesday dropped felony burglary charges against seven pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at City College of New York on April 30.
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Two Barnard students have been expelled for their participation in disrupting the first session of the History of Modern Israel course, Columbia University Apartheid Divest wrote in a post on X.
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Columbia University Jews for Ceasefire, a new student group, staged a demonstration on Thursday and unveiled a banner that read “CU Jews 4 Ceasefire” facing Broadway between Dodge Hall and Lewisohn Hall. The group plans to take further action on Monday. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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The Barnard and Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors plans to submit a “Resolution of Censure of President Shafik, her Administration, and the Co-chairs of the Board of Trustees” to the University Senate.
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Amnesty International published a news release on Wednesday urging universities “to safeguard and facilitate all students’ right to peacefully and safely protest or counter protest on their campuses.”
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Over 20 New York state elected officials, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, released an open letter on Friday urging the Columbia administration to reverse the suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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Witness the timeline of the April 30 occupation of Hamilton Hall, renamed “Hind’s Hall” by protesters. Spectator captured moments from before protesters entered the building to the last song they sang before police swept the campus.
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UPDATE: Spirits remained high on South Lawn throughout the day as protesters intermittently repeated chants like “Minouche Shafik, you’re a clown, we demand that you step down” while waving small Palestinian flags.
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BREAKING: Roughly two dozen pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the west side of South Lawn on Friday during Columbia’s annual alumni reunion, laying down tarps, pitching around ten tents, and displaying banners.
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“In our April 18 staff editorial, we asked, ‘What is the role of the University if not to advocate for—and protect—its students?’ Today, we ask, ‘Columbia administration, what is your end goal?’” the Columbia Daily Spectator’s editorial board writes.
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As the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” entered its fourth day on Saturday, protesters prepared for the University’s second admitted students weekend of the semester by establishing a “People’s University Student Fair” and an “alternative tour” committee.
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Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine at Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College announced new demands around 3:15 p.m. on Friday at the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” calling upon faculty to boycott Commencement until demands are met.
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Columbia grad student union announces plans for indefinite strike beginning in December columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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BREAKING: New York Police Department officers with helmets and zipties entered Barnard’s campus at roughly 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday, nearly four hours after pro-Palestinian protesters began a sit-in at Milstein, and began detaining protesters.
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NYPD arrests nine individuals at Milstein sit-in
Updated March 7 at 11:44 a.m.
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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into Columbia on Thursday following a complaint filed by Palestine Legal alleging a pattern of anti-Palestinian discrimination in violation of Title VI.
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New York Police Department body camera footage shows the use of stun grenades—colloquially known as “flashbangs”—against protesters and provides insight into scenes inside occupied Hamilton Hall during the Tuesday police sweep. l8r.it/xBwi
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BREAKING: Rihanna announces pregnancy with a photo shoot at the Manhattanville campus. The singer and A$AP Rocky walked along the 12th Avenue corridor, where dozens of businesses have struggled after being forced to move during the campus’ construction.
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The St Antony’s Graduate Common Room—the student body representatives of St Antony’s College of the University of Oxford—passed a motion on May 30 to request suspension of the alumni privileges of University President Minouche Shafik, a St Antony’s alum.
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Union Theological Seminary President Serene Jones wrote to the UTS community on Wednesday morning to “adamantly condemn” University President Minouche Shafik’s authorization of the New York Police Department’s Tuesday night sweep of occupied Hamilton Hall.
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BREAKING: GWC-UAW student workers voted 1,093-970 to reject the contract negotiated by its bargaining committee and Columbia. They said the contract fell short on discrimination and harassment protections, union recognition, and more. Bargaining will continue.
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The Barnard and Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors released a statement on Friday denouncing University President Minouche Shafik’s testimony before Congress and her decision to allow NYPD on campus.
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Mahmoud Khalil met with acting University President Claire Shipman over a year before he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to express concerns over the safety of Palestinian students, according to emails obtained by Spectator.
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BREAKING:Columbia’s Committee on Instruction—co-chaired by deans of Columbia College and School of General Studies—recommends that spring break be extended by a week to allow more time to “adapt to the current situation” and all Spring 2020 courses be graded on a pass/fail basis.
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The Columbia College Student Council executive board issued an open letter on Friday to University President Minouche Shafik, condemning her “readiness to punish your students for practicing the values they have learned and celebrated at this institution.”
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UPDATE: The New York Police Department began entering campus through the Carman Hall gates at approximately 9:06 p.m. on Tuesday. l8r.it/kkrL
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The Barnard student body overwhelmingly voted in favor of divestment from Israel, the Barnard Student Government Association announced to students Monday afternoon. The election saw striking voter turnout compared to previous years.
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“She has disgraced the good name of Columbia,” writes Columbia alumnus Oren Root, CC ’69, in a new op-ed criticizing University President Minouche Shafik for her administration’s punitive measures against pro-Palestinian students.
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The University is continuing dialogue with student representatives of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” for “the next 48 hours” following “important progress” in negotiations, a University spokesperson wrote in a 3:03 a.m. Wednesday statement to Spectator.
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The Columbia Journalism School held a discussion with Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza on April 8 about the conditions of journalists working in the Gaza Strip and his experience in gaining a large following from his on-the-ground coverage.
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Ernie Brod, CC ’58, Law ’61, a Columbia donor and member of Spectator’s board of trustees, writes that he will suspend financial support to the University “until steps are taken to ensure that Jewish students are safe and welcome again on campus.”
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Over 100 Public Interest Honorees of the Law School published an open letter on Friday in support of pro-Palestinian protesters, students, and student groups, withdrawing “consent to display our names, images, and work.”
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Columbia has been ranked 3rd best university by @usnews, its highest ranking ever columbiaspectator.com/news/2…
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Dance groups performed on Saturday at the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on South Lawn. An Instagram post by Columbia University Apartheid Divest earlier in the day listed an open call for involved student groups to lead performances and other programming.
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After 12 days of occupying South Lawn, pro-Palestinian protesters escalated their operations by occupying a building on April 30. Tune in to listen to Hamilton Hall’s historic transformation to Hind’s Hall and the violent police crackdown that followed.
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Spectator obtained messages from a “Columbia Alumni for Israel” group chat in which members called for pro-Palestinian protesters’ expulsion and deportation, and circulated petitions, open letters, and social media posts targeting pro-Palestinian students.
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Discover the pets of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” through the lens of Spectator photographers.
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UPDATE: Norman Finkelstein, prominent scholar on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, spoke to students Friday afternoon on the South Lawn. Several CUNY professors who say they were fired for vocalizing pro-Palestinian ideas were also in attendance.
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UPDATED: All arrested individuals had been released from custody by 10:36 p.m. on Thursday, according to two Columbia Law Students. The students told Spectator they were doing “legal intake” for individuals as they were released from police custody.
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