Columbia cancels university-wide graduation ceremony

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Columbia University canceled the main graduation ceremony it had planned for next week amid growing concerns that continuing pro-Palestinian student protests could raise security concerns on campuses across the United States.

Columbia said it would abandon its annual university graduation ceremony, scheduled for May 15 on the South Lawn of its main Manhattan campus, which has seen protests, a student encampment and arrests by New York City police. after the brief occupation of a campus. building last week.

Instead, it plans to focus on smaller ceremonies for its individual schools, most of which will be held at its Baker Athletics Complex, away from its main undergraduate campus in Morningside. He said the decision was made after consulting with students who had indicated that smaller celebrations were “more meaningful to them and their families.”

The decision caps weeks of turmoil at the Ivy League school and follows the University of Southern California’s decision to cancel its own main graduation ceremony. On Monday, the interim president of the University of Pennsylvania warned that he may need to take more drastic measures to clear an encampment on the campus’s main College Green.

“Every day the camp exists, the campus becomes less safe,” wrote Larry Jameson, who took over as head of the Ivy League school after his predecessor, Liz Magill, was forced to resign over her handling of the crisis, sparked by by the Israeli government. Hamas war. “Some have attempted to characterize this as a peaceful protest. It’s not,” Jameson said.

Alan Garber, the interim president of Harvard who replaced Claudine Gay after she resigned earlier this year over her handling of the protests, also called for the dismantling of the encampment in its main square.

He warned of “disciplinary consequences” for those who continued to participate in the protests after concerns about intimidation, harassment and disruption that threatened studies, exams and preparations for Harvard’s graduation ceremony on May 23.

Even institutions like the University of Chicago, which has long stressed its commitment to free speech, have warned of tougher measures against protesters, following concerns about conflict and property damage.

Some students hoped that Columbia’s May 15 ceremonies could serve as a moment for its embattled president, Minouche Shafik, to unite the community.

A student enrolled in history and Jewish thought said Shafik could use the opportunity to “teach” students about why the violence sparked by the protests was “wrong.” When asked if he thought protesters would be receptive to that message, he said “no,” but “you have to try it anyway.”

The university’s actions have sparked a series of copycat encampments and demonstrations followed by police interventions at other institutions from Georgia to California, echoing demonstrations during the 1968 Vietnam protests in the United States.

Administrators are concerned about further disruption in preparation for this month’s graduation ceremonies, when students and their families gather to celebrate the completion of their studies.

Several other elite universities, including Vassar, Brown and Northwestern, have defused demonstrations with agreements to discuss student demands, including divestment from companies linked to Israel’s war against Hamas. None have agreed to sell investments from their endowments.

Columbia did not cite the student protests in its statement Monday, but said its focus on the ceremonies would be to “keep them safe, respectful, and running smoothly.” She added: “These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for our community.”