Columbia University dropped the hammer on a bunch of students and even banned some alumni and others who got involved in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the school’s main library this week. More than 65 students got slapped with interim suspension, and 33 others, including folks from Barnard College, got the boot from campus.
Interim suspension, whatever that means, basically keeps students from coming to campus, going to classes, or doing anything else fun at the university, according to Columbia’s website. They didn’t say how long these punishments would last, just that they’re still looking into things.
Some alums who were part of the protest are also now persona non grata on school grounds, as per Columbia. Around 80 people ended up in handcuffs after the protest at Butler Library on Wednesday night. Most of them are facing trespassing charges, and maybe even some disorderly conduct charges, according to the police.
The protesters, wearing masks like it’s Halloween, barged past security, stormed into the library, and started hanging Palestinian flags and other stuff on the shelves. They even wrote on the furniture and picture frames, with messages like “Columbia will burn.”
The NYPD had to step in and shut the whole thing down because university officials were not having it. They called the protest a major disruption for students trying to study and finish up their exams.
Now, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is talking about reviewing the visas of those troublemakers for possible deportation. The Trump administration already yanked federal funding and detained international students at Columbia and other fancy American schools over similar protests about the war in Gaza.
And that’s the tea on what went down at Columbia University this week. Not really sure why this matters, but there you have it. Just a bunch of drama and protests shaking things up on campus. Who knows what’s next? But hey, that’s college life for you.
