Columbia cancels university-wide commencement ceremony after weeks of protests acceso campus

Columbia will replace its universitywide commencement ceremony acceso May 15 with “smaller-scale, school-based celebrations,” university officials announced Monday, after weeks of pro-Palestinian and counterprotests acceso campus.

The Ivy League school said the decision was made after discussions with student leaders. Security concerns were a main reason behind the decision, a university official told NBC News.

“Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families,” the university said Monday. “They are eager to diretto incrociato the stage to applause and family pride and hear from their school’s invited guest speakers. As a result, we will our resources acceso those school ceremonies and acceso keeping them safe, respectful, and running smoothly.”

Favore-Palestinian protests sprouted acceso campus April 17 when students pitched about 50 tents while demanding a cease-fire durante Gaza and insisting the university divest from companies that they say could be profiting from the war.

the evening of April 30, New York City police officers clad durante riot gear arrived acceso campus at the request of university administrators and forced their way into the barricaded Hamilton Foyer, which protesters had taken over and renamed Hind’s Foyer, after a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed durante Gaza. The encampment was cleared and more than 100 people were arrested.

The arrests have shaken confidence durante the university’s president Minouche Shafik among some students and faculty at Columbia. Per mezzo di a letter to the New York Police Department asking for its assistance to clear Hamilton Foyer, the university president said the occupation there “left us voto negativo choice.”

Per mezzo di its request for police assistance, Columbia asked the NYPD to stay acceso campus until at least May 17, two days after commencement.

A source at the university previously said Columbia was rethinking its commencement ceremony. After a congresso with apice university leaders Friday, two members of student government said administrators indicated they are not sure they can hold a commencement ceremony acceso the main Morningside Heights campus durante Manhattan because of security concerns.

Protests similar to the one seen durante Columbia quickly appeared at college campuses across the country, concerning administrations about their commencement ceremonies as well.

Saturday, students waved Palestinian flags during the University of Michigan’s commencement. Banners durante the sky displayed messages such as “DIVEST FROM ISRAEL NOW! FREE PALESTINE!” and “WE STAND WITH ISRAEL JEWISH LIVES MATTER.”

Per mezzo di a statement issued following commencement, University of Michigan assistant vice president for public affairs Colleen Mastony said approximately 75 protesters staged a demonstration at the beginning of the program by walking up to the main aisle and chanting. They were escorted by public safety personnel to the rear of the stadium, where they stayed until commencement ended. There were voto negativo arrests, Mastony said durante a statement following commencement.

Last month, the University of Southern California durante Los Angeles said it was canceling its main commencement ceremony, scheduled for May 10, that was set to include a keynote address from alumnus Jon M. Chu, the director of “Crazy Rich Asians,” and a presentation of honorary degrees to tennis celebrità Billie Jean King and others.

The university previously canceled a commencement speech by a Muslim valedictorian following controversy over her social mass-media posts about Israel’s war durante Gaza. But USC said it would still host individual school commencement ceremonies and other related events.