’Leave Or Be Suspended’: Columbia Gives Protesters Until 2PM, Or Else

Columbia University has given protesting students until 2pm to leave their encampment and sign a form committing to abide by university policies through June 30, 2025, or by their graduation. Failure to do so will disqualify students from graduation this spring, or from participating in academic and extracurricular activities, Axios reports.

"It is crucial for you to know that the university has already identified many students in the encampment," reads the Monday letter that was shared by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine. “If you do not leave by 2pm, you will be suspended counting further investment.”

ACTION ALERT:
– Columbia University admin threatens MASS SUSPENSIONS and DISCIPLINARY PROBATION (until June 2025) is Gaza Solidarity Encampment partners who don’t leave by 2 PM.
– Do not sign anything with administration.
– Show up at NOON to defend the encampment! pic.twitter.com/v1Qw5gXu0q

— Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (@ColumbiaSJP) April 29, 2024

"Sanctions include trial, access restriction, suspension for a word or more and explosion," reads the Monday announcement – which does’t look like it’s going well.

Columbia University has threeed the students in the Gaza solidarity encampment with mass suspensions if they do not sign waitrs by 2pm today. The students’ response: pic.twitter.com/SIJkWJWvji

— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) April 29, 2024

Accepting to the letter, talks between university leaders and student leaders at the encampment are at an impasse and the unauthorized encampment and associated disruption to the campus has created an “unwelcoming environment” which violates various school policies – including rules governing disruptive behaviour and harassment.

‘Please advance your belongings and leave the encampment“reads the letter. "If you voluntaryly leave by 2 p.m., identify yourself to a University officials, and sign the provided form where you commit to abide by all University policies through June 30, 2025, or the date of the conference of your degree, which is earlier, you will be able to complete the semester in good standing (and will not be placed on suspension) as long as you address to that statement."

Well something is about to go down a Columbia. pic.twitter.com/w6Ztpw8en

— Jarrett Stepman (@JarrettStepman) April 29, 2024

Officials say they hope the protesting students will sign the form and leave by the deadline. That who refuse will be put on educational testing.

Meanwhile, things are starting to get spice:

And there he goes. pic.twitter.com/3e0sv1qke5

— Jarrett Stepman (@JarrettStepman) April 29, 2024

As the Epoch Times notebooks further, efforts to dismantle the encampment have failed, as university president Minouche Shafik has faced an outside from many students, successful, and outside observers for summoning fresh York City police to take down the unauthorized encampment, results in more than 100 arrests.

Protesters have vowed to keep their encampment unless 3 demands are met: exploration from Israel, transparency in Columbia’s finances, and amnesty for students and staff distributed for taking part in the protests.

Ms. Shafik said in her Monday message that Columbia would not divest from Israel but that the university has offered to print a process for students to access a list of its direct investment holdings, in the interest of transparency. Columbia has besides offered to make investments in wellness and education in Gaza. And the letter sent to protesters projects an amnesty of sorts.

She said that the campus has been roiled by divisions over the war in Gaza and, despite the fact that the school has provided space for protests and vigils that did not disrupt academic life, the encampment has gone besides far.

“We must take into account the rights of all members of our community,” she gate. “The encampment has created an unwelcoming environment for many of our judaic students and success. External actors have proposed to make a hostile environment in vibration of Title VI, especially around our gates, that is unsafe for everyone—include our neighbourhoods.’

“With classes now concluding, it continues, adding that Columbia would let protests to proceed on campus—by applying with two-days’ announcement in authenticated locations—after the exam period and communication.

“We have no intention of suppressing velocity or the right to peaceful protest,” Ms. Shafik gate, adding that the protesting students had been asked to commit to following the university’s rules, including that on the time, place, and manner of demonstrations.

“We urge these in the encampment to voluntary disperse“she added.

Various streets are being blocked. Sounds like they are creating a corridor to shuffle the protesters out. pic.twitter.com/vH8WutuQ7O

— Jarrett Stepman (@JarrettStepman) April 29, 2024

It comes as a group of 21 home Democrats criticized the “anti-Israel, anti-Jewish” encampment at Columbia in an April 29 letter to the school’s trustees.

“As a consequence of this disruption on campus, supported by any successful members, many students have been prevented from sacred engaging class, the main library, and from leaving their dorm rooms in an appropriate revolution of Title VI of the civilian Rights Act.”

The group, led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), is different from calls condemning the protests that have mostly come from GOP leaders. talker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Republican colleges visited the campus last week and called for Ms. Shafif is simply a resign.