Columbia University disciplines students involved in Butler Library takeover
Columbia University is coming down hard on pro-Palestinian students who took part in a recent takeover of Butler Library and last year's tent encampment, the school announced on Tuesday.
At least 70 were disciplined, with 80% receiving sanctions that resulted in expulsions, and suspensions lasting at least two years, sources told CBS News New York.
The school said students who participated in an encampment during alumni weekend in spring 2024 were also disciplined this week.
"There must be respect for each other"
In a lengthy statement, Columbia said in part that the sanctions were issued Tuesday by the University Judicial Board (UJB) after a panel of professors and administrators addressed the incident on a case-by-case basis. The school said it will not release any of the individual punishments, but said those stemming from the Butler Library incident include, "probation, suspensions, degree revocations, and expulsions."
"Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community. And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules," Columbia added in the statement. "Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences. The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes."
Reaction to the disciplinary action mixed
The expulsions and suspension come as the university tries to work with the Trump administration, which is withholding $400 million in federal grants from the school. The feds have accused Columbia of "continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students."
Some say they agree with the punishments handed out on Tuesday.
"It was violent. They're damaging property. Several public safety officers got injured in the process. This is a good first step, [but] there's a lot more to do," doctoral candidate Alon Levin said of the Butler Library takeover.
"Columbia is finally acting like an institution with a backbone, so I don't think this is about censorship. It's just about basic accountability," said Aron Boxer, CEO of Diversified Education Services.
"It's sad to say, but we've kind of gotten used to this," Columbia student Joshua Segal said. "I definitely think the reason why students do this is because they think they can get away with it."
However, others say Columbia went overboard.
"To be suspended for two or three years, or even expelled, because of a 25-minute demonstration in a reading room of the library, that just strikes me as draconian," said Michael Thaddeus, a mathematics professor and acting president of the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
"It's wild that students who call that out and draw attention to major humanitarian crises are punished so severely," graduate student Alex Borsa said.
"When the student encampments started at Columbia, I went up there to support the students," said Nas Issa, who graduated from Columbia in 2020.
Issa said they're disappointed in their alma mater.
"I think it just goes to show the sort of warped priorities of institutions like Columbia that are more interested in protecting their endowment, their donors, their investments than they are in standing by their students and faculty," they said.
The group Columbia for Palestine criticized the UJB, saying in an Instagram post, in part, "The record demonstrates active collusion, not reluctant concessions. The trustees use the Trump administration as cover to escalate their Zionist agenda."
The NYCLU also chimed in, releasing the following statement:
"This mass expulsion is another example of Columbia University taking a punitive approach to pro-Palestine student activism," staff attorney Veronica Salama said. "We must wonder whether the severity of the punishment was influenced by Columbia's recent capitulation to the Trump administration to clamp down on student advocacy. We should not forget that universities and their students have a long history of activism and have been important drivers of dialogue, debate, and change."
Butler Library takeover
Dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators vandalized Butler Library with "disturbing slogans" on May 7, the university said.
Cellphone video showed protesters, many in masks, forcing their way inside, where they vandalized property and took over a reading room, as students were studying for finals. As the confrontation escalated inside, demonstrators also clashed with police on the outskirts of campus, pushing barricades and shutting down the block.
At least 80 people were arrested, the NYPD said.
At the time, Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman said administrators believed a significant portion of protesters were not affiliated with the university and that discipline of those that were would be in line with the severity of their actions. The university confirmed some students were suspended for their involvement.
"Columbia unequivocally rejects antisemitism," Shipman said. "We will come together as a community to consider what civil disobedience actually is."
