Columbia University has canceled its campus-wide graduation ceremony scheduled for May 15, after protests related to the war in Gaza led to the arrest of more than 100 people.
The university in a statement on Monday, May 6 said it arrived at the decision after consultations with student leaders.
However, the institution noted that it is ditching the commencement in favor of smaller celebrations to focus on ‘keeping students safe’.
“We have decided to make the centerpiece of our Commencement activities our Class Days and school-level ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, rather than the University-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15,” read the statement in part.
“Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families.”
Columbia University Cancels Commencement Ceremony
The Ivy League school further added that it will focus resources on the smaller school ceremonies.
“They are eager to cross the stage to applause and family pride and hear from their school’s invited guest speakers. As a result, we will focus our resources on those school ceremonies and on keeping them safe, respectful, and running smoothly.”
Also Read: Businesses in Uganda Close Down in Protest of New Tax Rules
Ceremonies were previously scheduled for the Ivy League university’s South Lawn where pro-Palestinian demonstrators had set up a camp. Now, a majority of the commencements will be held at the Baker Athletics Complex.
Columbia, which for several weeks has been the epicenter of pro-Palestinian campus protests, is at least the second school to cancel its main graduation ceremony.
The University of Southern California canceled its main commencement on April 25 after police broke up an encampment and the campus was shutdown.
The decision comes two weeks after Columbia University canceled its in-person classes one week after the school started suspending students who refused to vacate their pro-Palestinian encampment.
The protesters had demanded Columbia divest from Israel and companies tied to the country.
Protestors in Columbia University
The demonstrations however sparked unrest on the campus, where Jewish leaders accused protesters of shouting hateful rhetoric at Jewish students.
The outrage sparked calls for the university’s president to resign and led major donor Robert Kraft to pull his support for the school.
Also Read: ODM Takes Action After Political Violence in Migori County
They formed a tent encampment on the school’s Manhattan campus and a smaller group took over a university building, leading the school to call in the New York City police.
The protests stem from the conflict that started on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
Do you want to be part of an updated community without the interruptions of unwanted messages? Click the link below and join our WhatsApp Channel!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaB3k54HltYFiQ1f2i2C
Discussion about this post