Rep. D’Esposito Calls on Columbia University to Arrange Alternative Graduations for Protesters

A Republican congressman from New York has called on Columbia University to arrange alternative graduation ceremonies for students from his district after the prestigious institution cancelled its main event due to anti-Israel protests.
Anthony D’Esposito, a member of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Columbia president Minouche Shafik on Wednesday demanding she provides a list of students from his constituency so he can organise graduation events for them.
D’Esposito, a former Army infantry officer who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, slammed Shafik for failing students, saying: “I find it appalling that Columbia University students have been deprived of their commencement ceremony.”
The decision to scrap the main ceremony, which was scheduled for May 15, follows almost three weeks of student protests at the Ivy League school.
More than 2,500 people have been arrested during anti-Israel demonstrations across US campuses, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Columbia’s large graduation ceremony was set to take place in Manhattan, near to the site of a protest encampment that was dismantled by police last week.
In a statement released two weeks ago, Shafik described the encampment as having become an “unlawful activity”, with participants in “direct violation” of university policies and city laws.
She faced criticism after initially refraining from allowing police onto campus to deal with the protests.
Last month, Shafik appeared before a congressional committee to answer questions over rising levels of anti-Semitism at the school.
The following day, she authorised police to enter the campus and disperse scores of protesters. More than 100 people were arrested during the operation.
This week, D’Esposito said he will help organise alternative graduation ceremonies for students from his district, adding: “Leadership at Columbia has failed these students. We won’t fail them as well.”
Columbia’s smaller, school-based graduation ceremonies will go ahead at a nearby sports centre instead.
In a statement, the university said the decision to cancel the main event followed extensive dialogue between administrators and student representatives.
“We also must continue with urgency our ongoing dialogue on the important issues that have been raised in recent months, especially the balance between free speech and discrimination and the role of a university in contributing to better outcomes in the Middle East,” Shafik said.
“Both are topics where I hope Columbia can lead the way in new thinking that will make us the epicentre, not just of protests, but of solutions to the world’s problems.”