The administration of Columbia University is facing criticism from a panel consisting of fellow faculty members and students over its handling of protests in support of Palestine. Large groups have gathered at Columbia for several days, calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza while some protesters went further by targeting Jewish students with threats and demanding the death of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As a result, most classes were moved online due to ongoing protests. The university’s president, Minouche Shafik, is facing calls for her resignation because of how she dealt with the situation, but there have been different critiques too from within Columbia University Senate itself that accuses administration of failing to defend academic freedom and not defending their institution in times when external pressures are mounting.
The New York Police Department arrested over 100 protesters last week for suspected trespassing on campus, with the police claiming that all students surrendered peacefully without any violence or injuries reported by them. The NYPD counterterrorism unit has since been deployed to Columbia at the request of university authorities who stated they perceived a threat from those taking part in the protest camp which contained danger within itself too because several activists tried hurting Jewish kids around campus area during that time as well according to some reports published later by news outlets.
The faculty and student body has criticized administration’s response, stating it failed to defend Columbia’s institutional traditions when outsiders infringed academic freedom with a deliberate interference of their internal affairs at the university. The Senate itself is largely made up of 65 professors and 25 students along with other representatives while nine seats are held by Shafik, provost, two deans as well as others in that group too.
Reps Ilhan Omar (D-MN) & Alexandria Ocasio Cortez(D -NY ) paid a visit to the protest campuses and met with students who have been calling for an end of violence against Palestine.
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