The course of 2024 is touched by misfortune. They were left without high school graduation in 2020 due to the pandemic closure. Classes began with a course or more of zoom classes. And now they are also left without a university graduation party, due to the protests on campuses in favor of Palestine.
At least this is what will happen to the 15,000 graduating students at the elite Columbia University, after last week’s serious incidents, when police stormed the campus in a military-style operation and evicted those occupying a building and were camped on campus. The party was scheduled for May 15.
The university, included in the prestigious Ivy League group, said it chose to hold small meetings instead of massive ones. Columbia officials indicated this Monday that the decision was made after meetings with student leaders and in view of concerns about security issues, a spokesperson said.
Columbia wants to avoid a situation of massive protest, especially after the severe criticism it has received for authorizing the entry of the police with an apparently disproportionate operation: several hundred uniformed officers and their technology to detain, between inside and outside, a total of 119 people. The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, continues to defend the action due to the presence of “foreign intruders” to the institution although, almost a week later, this has not been proven.
The announcement of the cancellation was also preceded by various incidents recorded this weekend in Virginia and Chicago, with dozens of people arrested, due to anti-Israel protests during graduation ceremonies. The University of Southern California (USC) took a similar suspension measure a few days ago.
“Our students have stressed that these small-scale celebrations are best for them and their families,” insisted the spokesperson for Columbia, whose campus is located northwest of Manhattan. “They are eager to go on stage to applause and the pride of their family and listen to the speakers invited to the event,” he reiterated.
The university will try to concentrate on the resources necessary to carry out these smaller festivities and ensure that there are as many as possible for those honored. “We are going to try to make the graduation experience very special,” stressed the spokesperson.
In reality, the suspension of the general celebration is a new challenge for the rector Minouche Shafik, in the political spotlight and also from students and teachers. A group of members of the academic team have already requested a vote of no confidence for giving way to the police in a center known for its history of supporting protest movements against war, racism or apartheid. Shafik requested that the police presence be extended until May 17. The area remains under strict surveillance.
