Police stormed New York University Monday night and arrested student protesters, ending a standoff with university authorities.
At Yale University, police placed zip ties on protesters' wrists Monday morning and took them to the campus shuttle to serve citations for trespassing.
Columbia University kept classroom doors closed Monday, moved lectures online and urged students to stay home.
Harvard Yard was closed to the public. At nearby campuses such as Tufts University and Emerson College, administrators are considering how to deal with encampments similar to the one cleared by police in Columbia last week, with protesters quickly decamping. revived the earth. And on the West Coast, a new stronghold has been established at the University of California, Berkeley.
Less than a week after more than 100 protesters were arrested at Columbia University, administrators at some of the most influential universities in the country are torn apart by the Gaza-Israel conflict. They struggled and almost failed to calm the campus down.
Amid Monday's unrest, which coincided with the start of Passover, protesters called on the university to reduce its financial ties to Israel and its arms suppliers. Many Jewish students once again feared for their safety, suffering anew from some protests and chants that took a turn toward anti-Semitism. Some faculty members condemned the crackdown on peaceful protests and warned that academia's mission to foster open debate was at risk. Alumni and donors were furious.
And in Congress, some of the same members of Congress that Dr. Shafiq tried to placate last week with inflammatory words and tactics on his own campus have called for the Columbia University president to resign.
Administrators' menu of options for dealing with protests appears to be rapidly dwindling. Some form of demonstrations are almost certain to continue on some campuses until the end of the year, and even then, graduation ceremonies could become hotly contested rallies.
So far, the largest protests have been confined to a handful of campuses, and administrators' approaches appear to be changing from time to time.
In a message to students and staff early Monday morning, Columbia University President Nemat Shafiq said, “We know there is much debate about whether to use police on campus, and we are pleased to… I want to participate in that discussion.” Days after police in riot gear cleared part of Columbia University's campus.
“But we know that if we better adhere to our rules and effective enforcement mechanisms, we won't have to rely on anyone else to keep our communities safe,” she added. “We should be able to do this ourselves.”
Since Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, protesters have demonstrated with varying degrees of intensity. But this particular disturbance began to gather more force last Wednesday, after Columbia University students set up camp just as Dr. Shafik was preparing to testify before Congress.
At a hearing in Washington, before a Republican-led House committee, she vowed to more aggressively punish unauthorized protests on private college campuses, and the next day called on the New York City Police Department to remove encampments. I requested that. In addition to more than 100 people being arrested, Columbia University suspended many students. Many Columbia University professors, students, and alumni have expressed concern that the university is eradicating free debate, a cornerstone of the American college experience.
The tougher approach led to further protests outside Columbia University's gates, where Jewish students reported being targeted by anti-Semitic jeers and feeling unsafe while traveling to and from campus.
The spiraling unrest in Upper Manhattan helped fuel protests on several other campuses.
“We're all a united front,” said law student Malak Afaneh, a protester at the University of California, Berkeley. “This was inspired by the students at Columbia University, who, in my opinion, were central figures in the student movement and whose courage and solidarity with Palestine is a real inspiration to all of us. Thank you.”
The events at Columbia University also had repercussions at Yale University, where students gathered for several days at Beinecke Plaza in New Haven, Connecticut, to demand that the university divest from its arms manufacturer.
Yale University President Peter Salovey said Monday that university leaders have spent “many hours” talking with protesters, including meeting with the trustees who oversee Yale's Investor Responsibility Committee. He said there was also an offer to include. However, university officials said late Sunday they had deemed the talks unsuccessful and Dr. Salovey was troubled by reports of an “increasingly difficult campus environment.”
Dr. Salovey said authorities arrested 60 people on Monday morning, including 47 students. The university said the decision to make the arrests was made “with the safety and security of the entire Yale University community in mind and to ensure that all members of the community have access to university facilities.”
But hours after the arrest, hundreds of protesters blocked a key intersection in New Haven.
“We demand the divestment of Yale University!” they chanted.
“Liberate Palestine!” I went one more time.
Far from being intimidated by police, demonstrators suggested that the response at Beinecke Square had given them courage.
“The way Yale is responding to students exercising their right to free speech and peacefully protesting on campus grounds (which is supposed to be our community, our campus) is… “It's pretty scary that they sent a police officer and arrested 50 students,” said Chisato Kimura, a Yale law student.
In Massachusetts, the scene was less controversial, as Harvard officials moved to limit potential protests by closing the 25-acre Harvard Yard, the core of the Cambridge campus, until Friday. Students were warned that they could face university disciplinary action if, for example, they erected tents or blocked entrances to buildings without permission.
On Monday, Harvard University's Palestine Solidarity Committee announced on social media that the university had suspended its activities. The National Coalition for Palestine Justice Students, a loose coalition of campus groups, said the decision was “clearly designed to prevent students from replicating the solidarity encampments that are spreading across the country.” He said he was thinking about it. Harvard University said in a statement that it is “committed to applying all policies in a content-neutral manner.”
Elsewhere in the Boston area, protesters had set up encampments at Emerson College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University. But these protests have so far appeared calmer than those in New York, where demonstrators set up encampments at Yale University and outside New York University's Stern School of Business.
New York University officials tolerated the demonstrations for several hours, but on Monday night they signaled their patience was running out. Police gathered near the protest site as demonstrators ignored a 4pm deadline to leave. As night approached, sirens blared and police officers wearing helmets and zip ties gathered. A prisoner transport was waiting nearby.
“Students, students, stay strong!” protesters roared. “New York, stand back!”
Police officers soon began marching.
“Today's events did not have to lead to this outcome,” university spokesman John Beckman said in a statement. But he said some protesters, who may not have been from New York University, broke through the barrier and refused to leave. The university said it requested the cooperation of the police due to safety concerns.
At Columbia University, Dr. Shafiq ordered Monday classes moved online “to quell resentment.”
He added that Columbia University officials “continue to consult with student protesters to identify actions we can take as a community to ensure a peaceful end to the semester.” There were no immediate details on how this would proceed.
Some students and faculty say Dr. Shafiq is losing support, and the University Senate is preparing for a possible vote this week to censure the president. Supporters of the condemnation complained that Dr. Shafiq was sacrificing academic freedom to appease critics.
But Dr. Shafiq came under fire Monday by the very people she was accused of appeasing, as at least 10 U.S. House members called for her resignation.
“For the past several days, Columbia University has descended into anarchy,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, one of Dr. Shafik's chief interrogators, wrote last week along with other members of Congress. “One of your primary goals as the leader of this institution is to ensure a safe learning environment for our students, both morally and legally. By all accounts, you have failed in this duty. That means.”
A university spokesperson said Dr. Shafiq is focused on conflict mitigation and “works with faculty, administration, board members, and state, city, and local leaders across campus. I am grateful for the support.” ”
In a grim atmosphere, with green, blue and yellow tents filling the Columbia encampment, parts of campus took on an eerie, surreal calm at times on a beautiful spring day.
But even as many Jewish students left campus for Passover, fear was not far behind.
“When Jewish students are forced to watch others burn Israeli flags, call for the bombing of Tel Aviv, and repeatedly demand that October 7th be held, it creates an unacceptable level of fear. “This is going to happen,” said Rep. Daniel Goldman (D) outside the Robert K. Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life in New York.
By then, in another symbol of the crisis enveloping Columbia, Mr. Kraft, an alumnus and owner of the New England Patriots, had launched his own broadside suggesting he would suspend donations.
“I no longer have confidence in Columbia University's ability to protect its students and employees, and I am unwilling to stand by the university until corrective action is taken,” he said in a statement.
Report contributor: Kaja Andrik, Olivia Bensimon, Troy Crosson, maria kramer, Lyceto Cruz, Jaycee Fortin, Amanda Holpch, Eliza Fawcett, Sarah Maslin Nir, Sarah Marvosh, Coral Murphy Marcos, Sharon Otterman, wesley parnell, Jeremy W. Peters, carla marie sanford, Stephanie Saul and derrick bryson taylor.