Columbia University reportedly expelled a group of students who participated in last year’s on-campus anti-Israel protests and the recent violent takeover of a campus library.
Dozens of other pro-Palestinian demonstrators were given sizeable suspensions, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
More than 70 students are set to be punished for their involvement in the forceful Butler Library takeover on May 7, as well as the pro-Palestinian tent encampment on the New York City campus in the spring 2024, the Post reported.
About two-thirds of the students will be suspended between 1-3 years, with the majority getting 2-year suspensions, sources told the newspaper.
The suspended and expelled students were informed of their punishments Monday, after an investigation by Columbia's University Judicial Board.
"Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community. And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution’s fundamental work, policies, and rules," a school spokesperson said in a statement, the Post reported.
"Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences. The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes."
The report came five days after The Washington Free Beacon reported Trump administration officials were scheduled to meet with Columbia leaders to finalize an agreement that would return the majority of the school's federal funding.
University acting President Claire Shipman wrote a June 15 letter announcing a series of sweeping reforms designed to combat antisemitism as Columbia tried to convince the Trump administration to return $400 million in federal funding that was canceled following claims it failed to protect Jewish students from harassment in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests.
At least 80 people were arrested and later at least 65 students were put on interim suspension and another 33 were banned from campus after the anti-Israel protesters forced their way into the Butler Library reading room May 7 and refused to leave.
At least two public safety officers were injured during the takeover.
Protestors defaced the library walls, marked tables with tape and unfurled Palestinian flags throughout the 5-hour ordeal.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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