Columbia University Prepares for Student Return Amid Israel Protest Epicenter

Columbia University is set to welcome students back to campus this Tuesday, but tensions are already building as pro-Palestinian protests are expected to resume. Last spring, these demonstrations sent shockwaves through the Manhattan campus and sparked similar movements at colleges across the nation.

In an effort to mitigate unrest, the new administration at Columbia has initiated listening sessions and released a report on antisemitism while also introducing new guidelines aimed at controlling disruptive protests. However, student organizers are undeterred, vowing to escalate their actions unless the university breaks ties with companies linked to Israel.

Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student who speaks for the campus protesters, stated, “As long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid, the students will continue to resist. Not only protests and encampments, the limit is the sky.”

These developments come just weeks after the resignation of the university’s president, Minouche Shafik, who had previously called in police to disperse protest encampments. When students occupied a university building, law enforcement responded with overwhelming force, leading to numerous arrests and shutting down parts of the campus.

On the morning of the semester’s first day, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside one of Columbia’s main entrances, some playing drums as students and staff navigated through security checkpoints. While some entrances were easily accessible, others had been secured with bike locks.

With Shafik’s resignation, interim president Katrina Armstrong has begun engaging with students from various perspectives, aiming to balance the right to free expression with the need for a safe academic environment. While this approach has brought a glimmer of hope to some faculty members, many remain skeptical about the possibility of avoiding significant disruptions this semester.

“We are hoping for the best, but we are all wagering how long before we go into total lockdown again,” remarked Rebecca Korbin, a history professor involved with Columbia’s antisemitism task force. “There haven’t been any monumental changes, so I don’t know why the experience in the fall would look much different than what it did in the spring.”

A report by the task force, which includes faculty members, highlighted the “pervasive” antisemitism that has reportedly escalated since the October 7 Hamas attack. The document urged the university to reform its disciplinary procedures and enhance sensitivity training for both students and staff.

Demonstrations against the ongoing conflict have already begun to stir on other college campuses this semester, including a protest at the University of Michigan that led to multiple arrests. While recent protests at Columbia have been of a smaller scale, the campus visibly retains scars from last spring’s unrest.

The university’s once-open iron gates are now monitored, requiring students to show identification for entry. Inside the campus, security personnel patrol areas that were previously occupied by student encampments. A new sign indicates that “camping” is now prohibited on campus grounds.

Layla Hussein, a junior at Columbia, expressed concern that these security measures create a negative atmosphere. “We’re trying to cultivate a welcoming environment. It doesn’t help when you look outside, and it’s a bunch of security guards and barricades,” she stated.

Amid this backdrop, some accuse the university of being excessively lenient toward the student protesters. Critics argue that without clear and enforced guidelines, the likelihood of further upheaval this semester increases. Some ongoing disciplinary cases involve students still facing scrutiny for last semester’s actions, while prosecutors have dropped charges against many arrested and allowed them to return to campus.

Elisha Baker, a junior who leads an Israeli engagement group, commented, “They violated every rule in the book and they openly state they’ll continue to do so. We need to have a serious reckoning with the disciplinary process to ensure a safe learning environment for all.”

In response to concerns raised by Jewish students who filed a lawsuit against the university for fostering a hostile atmosphere, Columbia agreed to provide a “safe passage liaison” for those worried about protest activities. This summer, three administrators were removed from their positions after controversial text messages relating to antisemitism and fundraising were revealed.

A university spokesperson affirmed that Columbia has since strengthened its protest guidelines and introduced new training on antisemitism and Islamophobia for incoming students. The updated regulations now require protest organizers to inform the university of any planned demonstrations and bans any activities that significantly disrupt university functions.

Columbia, like many institutions, is grappling with a contentious debate about how to define antisemitism, specifically regarding whether anti-Zionist sentiment should be categorized as discrimination. A similar situation unfolded at New York University, which, after experiencing large protests, updated its code of conduct to warn that critical speech on Zionism could conflict with its anti-discrimination policy. This has garnered mixed reactions both in favor and against from various groups.

The task force report at Columbia identifies antisemitism as encompassing prejudice and discrimination directed at Jews and Jewish Israelis, as well as double standards applied to the nation of Israel.

As the semester kicks off, many instructors, including Eduardo Vergara from the Spanish department, face uncertainty over what they can express in the classroom. He anticipates that discussions surrounding the war in Gaza and its implications on campus will dominate conversations throughout the semester. “It feels like everything is calm now,” he noted. “I don’t think that’s going to last long.”

Source: AP