Columbia cancels its main graduation ceremony

by Lexi Lonas - 05/06/24 9:23 AM ET

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Police mobilize near Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. The university has limited access to campus to only students residing there and to employees who provide essential services, after protestors took over Hamilton Hall overnight, dubbing it Hind’s Hall in honor of Hind Rajab, the six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by the Israeli military in January after being the sole survivor of Israeli tank fire on the vehicle in which she had fled with six relatives. Students have barricaded themselves in the building while others have erected another encampment on Lewisohn Lawn outside Lewisohn Hall. The protesters have said they are planning to remain at Hamilton Hall until the university meets their demands. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Columbia University has canceled its main graduation ceremony after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests that have roiled the campus.

A university official said “security concerns” was one of the main factors but did not provide details about safety issues for the graduation.

The school will be holding school-level graduation ceremonies, smaller affairs where only the graduates of specific schools within the university are recognized. Columbia in a statement announcing the decision said that “students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families.”

The ceremonies were also moved from the South Lawn of Morningside Heights campus to the university’s athletic complex. The Morningside Heights campus is where pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment.

“These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for our community. Just as we are focused on making our graduation experience truly special, we continue to solicit student feedback and are looking at the possibility of a festive event on May 15 to take the place of the large, formal ceremony,” the announcement reads.

“We are eager to all come together for our graduates and celebrate our fellow Columbians as they, and we, look ahead to the future. We will share more in the coming days,” the school added.

Columbia had hundreds of individuals arrested in the past few weeks on campus during pro-Palestinian protests.

The protesters set up an encampment and took over a building in that time, leaving the university to say it had no choice but to take extreme measures.

The school canceled in-person classes, and finals have been pushed back due to the unrest.

New York City police last week forcibly entered Hamilton Hall, which had been taken over by a group of demonstrators, to make arrests.

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