Columbia University only expelling students on ‘severity of behaviours’
ByTuhin Das Mahapatra
Mar 14, 2025 08:07 AM IST
Columbia University expelled students and revoked diplomas following their involvement in the Hamilton Hall occupation during pro-Palestinian protests.
Columbia University on Thursday overturned months of silence by taking actions against students involved in last spring’s seizure of Hamilton Hall during pro-Palestinian protests, expelling them and suspending and revoking their diplomas.
Demonstrators hold their ground near a main gate at Columbia University in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, as New York City police officers move to clear the area after a building was taken over by pro-Palestinian protesters earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)(AP)
Demonstrators hold their ground near a main gate at Columbia University in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, as New York City police officers move to clear the area after a building was taken over by pro-Palestinian protesters earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)(AP)
Columbia did not disclose the exact number of students affected, stating that sanctions were determined based on “the severity of behaviours.”
“Today, the Columbia University Judicial Board determined findings and issued sanctions to students ranging from multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions related to the occupation of Hamilton Hall last spring,” he university said in an official statement.
“The outcomes issued by the UJB are based on its evaluation of the severity of behaviours at these events and prior disciplinary actions.”
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“These outcomes are the result of following the thorough and rigorous processes laid out in the Rules of University Conduct in our statutes, which include investigations, hearings and deliberations.”
“We will continue to work to support our community, including protecting the privacy of our students, during this challenging time and we remain steadfastly committed to our values and our mission.”
Columbia University is facing intense scrutiny over its handling of campus protests
The Trump administration recently revoked over $400 million in federal funding from the university, citing concerns over its response to antisemitism on campus.
The protests at Columbia were a part of a larger movement against Israel’s military operations in Gaza, and students set up a tent encampment (that quickly spread to other campuses nationwide). Most protests, however, were peaceful until April 30, 2024, when a group of activists barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall, locking the doors with broken furniture and padlocks.
On the night of May 1, the NYPD entered the campus and arrested dozens of protesters connected to both the encampment and the building occupation.
Although the Manhattan District Attorney’s office later dropped criminal charges against 31 of the 46 individuals initially arrested for trespassing inside the administrative building, those students remained subject to Columbia’s internal disciplinary proceedings.
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“We believe that while the group who broke into the building includes students, it is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University,” NYPD said in an official letter, cited by ABC News.
“The individuals who have occupied Hamilton Hall have vandalized University property and are trespassing.”
“Finally demonstrating that breaking university rules has consequences is an important first step towards going back to the core missions of research and teaching,” Gil Zussman, chair of Columbia’s electrical engineering department and a member of the university’s Task Force on Antisemitism, told Associated Press.
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