Columbia University is suspending and expelling dozens of students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests by seizing a part of the school’s main library in early May and , the university said in a statement on Tuesday.
A student group at the school said some 80 students had been informed of their punishments on Monday.
Some students have been put on probation, some suspended from one to three years, while others face revocation of degrees and expulsions.
What did the university say?
Following the protests, the university began an investigation into rules violations, banned participants from the campus and placed them on interim suspension, it said.
The Ivy League school said the students were assessed individually and given the chance to make their case followed by a weekslong deliberation process.
It issued its final determinations on Tuesday.
“Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences,” the university said in its statement.
“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,” the statement read.
Columbia trying to strike deal to restore federal funding
Columbia was the epicenter of nationwide campus protests last year against the war in Gaza.
The Trump administration has put intense pressure on the prestigious university and others, accusing them of failing to address alleged antisemitism.
It also cut $400 million in federal funding for the university.
Columbia has agreed to implement a series of policy reforms in an attempt to regain the federal funding.
That included overhauling the student disciplinary process and adopting a new definition of antisemitism.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
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