Columbia University, whose New York City campus has been roiled by anti-Israel protests, announced on Monday that it has canceled its main commencement ceremony next week.
Security concerns drove the decision, NBC News reported.
“Holding a large commencement ceremony on our campus presented security concerns that unfortunately proved insurmountable,” university spokesman Ben Chang said, according to The New York Times.
He said Columbia tried to find someplace to hold a college-wide ceremony but could not.
“Like our students, we are deeply disappointed with this outcome,” Chang said.
At least one Jewish student said Columbia is letting anti-Semitic protesters win.
“For the last three-plus weeks, I’ve had to listen as students on campus and protesters off campus shout for Zionists to get out of Columbia,” said Josie Toubin, co-president of an organization of Jewish students at Columbia’s business school.
“I am a Zionist, so they are yelling for me to leave,” she said.
Is this a bad move by Columbia?
“Moving graduation is another action that punishes Jewish students without justification,” Toubin said, noting that with the main campus cleared of demonstrators and their tent city, it should be able to host the ceremony.
“Don’t isolate us to a site 100 blocks north of campus as a response to the unrest on campus,” she said.
Columbia’s commencement cancellation is an unbelievable failure of leadership after they weakly negotiated with the proHamas terrorist encampment. They have lost control of the school.
Hardworking students and their families will now go without this celebratory event after…
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) May 6, 2024
The Times noted that many graduates were denied high school graduations because of COVID-19 lockdowns and that Columbia President Nemat Shafik had said bringing the entire graduating class together was a priority.
“We also do not want to deprive thousands of students and their families and friends of a graduation celebration,” Shafik said in a statement on April 29. “Please recall that many in this graduating class did not get a celebration when graduating from high school because of the pandemic, and many of them are the first in their families to earn a university degree.
“We owe it to all of our graduates and their loved ones to honor their achievement.”
The cancellation also caught the ire of former President Donald Trump.
“That shouldn’t happen,” he said as he entered court in New York on Monday morning.
“Are you listening, Israel? I hope you’re listening,” the Republican presidential candidate said.
President Trump: “Columbia just canceled their commencement…That shouldn’t happen. It also just came out that many of the protesters are backed by Biden’s donors.” pic.twitter.com/0xMRGmklKt
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) May 6, 2024
According to Columbia’s news release on Monday, students are just fine with the change.
“Our Deans and other colleagues who work directly with our students have been discussing plans with student leaders, and, most importantly, listening,” the Ivy League school said.
“Based on their feedback, we have decided to make the centerpiece of our Commencement activities our Class Days and school-level ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, rather than the University-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15,” it said.
“Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families,” the university said. “They are eager to cross the stage to applause and family pride and hear from their school’s invited guest speakers.”
Columbia said any ceremonies scheduled for its South Lawn, where protesters camped, will be moved.
“These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for our community,” it said.
The college said that as a substitute for a “large, formal ceremony,” it was considering what it called a “festive event.”
