World
India
Columbia University announced on Thursday that it has issued a range of disciplinary actions against students who occupied a campus building during pro-Palestinian protests last spring, Reuters reported. The decision comes amid increased federal scrutiny, including the Trump administration’s cancellation of $400 million in grants and contracts over the university’s response to antisemitism allegations.
According to the report, interim President Katrina Armstrong stated that the university is working with the government to address the administration’s concerns.
According to a university statement, Columbia’s judicial board—a panel of students, faculty, and staff—delivered sanctions ranging from multi-year suspensions to temporary degree revocations and expulsions, the report said. The university, however, did not disclose the number of students affected or their identities.
Among those expelled was Grant Miner, president of UAW Local 2710, the union representing Columbia student workers. Condemning the move, the union called it “the latest assault on First Amendment rights.”
Columbia became a focal point for anti-Israel protests that erupted across US college campuses following Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli military response in Gaza. Protesters have demanded that the university divest from Israeli interests and that the US government halt military aid to Israel.
The Trump administration has vowed to take strong action against what it describes as “pro-Hamas” demonstrators. Over the weekend, federal immigration authorities detained Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of last year’s protests. The administration is seeking to deport Khalil as part of its broader crackdown. However, his deportation has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
ALSO READ: China, Russia and Iran Call For End to US Sanctions and Resumption of Nuclear Talks
