Columbia University on Monday canceled its main graduation ceremony, previously scheduled for May 15, in favor of smaller events, a decision that follows weeks of pro-Palestinian protests that have roiled the school.
“We have decided to make class days and school-wide ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, the focus of our commencement activities,” Columbia said in a statement, calling the final weeks “incredibly difficult for our community”.
The protests in Columbia, which attracted national attention, inspired similar demonstrations at dozens of universities across the United States. The students called for a ceasefire in Gaza and demanded that their schools disassociate themselves from Israel-linked businesses.
Some universities, including Columbia, called in riot police to disperse and arrest hundreds of protesters, citing an urgent need for security on campus. Civil rights groups have condemned these tactics as violent violations of free speech.
More than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations in Gaza so far, according to health officials in the enclave. The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 252 others, 133 of whom are believed to have remained captive, according to Israeli records.
Turbulence at universities has led several universities to relocate, modify or cancel graduation ceremonies altogether.
In April, the University of Southern California also canceled its main ceremony, a week after canceling the commencement address of a Muslim student who said she had been silenced by anti-Palestinian hatred.
Columbia said Monday it had consulted with student leaders to decide how to handle graduation. Most of the ceremonies, which were supposed to take place on the campus where most of the protests took place, will be held at an athletic complex about five miles away.
Last week, New York police cleared a building on Columbia’s campus that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian protesters, arresting more than 100 people and dismantling an encampment.
Source: Terra
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