Police and private security throng every entrance but one. Steel barriers line the streets. Students pack up belongings in their cars and leave for home - classes are cancelled, and exam plans are up in the air.
Everywhere there is gloom, and uncertainty about what happens next at Columbia University.
Students told the BBC that the university’s decision to call in police to clear a Gaza protest late on Tuesday, leading to a raid on the occupied Hamilton Hall and hundreds of arrests, has left the college community shattered.
The university president, Nemat Shafik, said that it was with great regret that she ordered the police raid against students and others she said had infiltrated the protest. It would “take time to heal”, she added in a message in the operation’s aftermath.
For students of this prestigious school in Manhattan, New York, how long is unclear.
Imagine if the Columbia administration decided they could swim in regular water instead of a moneybin like Scrooge McDuck and divested the university from Israel. Maybe all of this could have been avoided.
Aren’t there laws that prevent Universities from doing so?
Are there? I’ve not heard of such a thing.
Yes, anti-BDS laws. These were passed years ago (not reactionary to now). There are state and federal rules but in general, a university can’t boycott or divest from Israeli (or many other nations) in political protest or it loses funding.
I think this is why we see most universities have their hands tied.
A private university? I would like to see that law.
Anti-BDS laws exist (you can look them up on Wikipedia). Are they constitutional? Certainly not. Is our legal system going to fight them? Doubt it.
It would “take time to heal”, she added
That’s some big “I’m sorry you made me do this to you” abuser energy there
It is with great regret that she [did something nobody was forcing her to do].
I can make some educated guesses on who forced her to do it.
Edit: upon learning more about her, no, it seems like she’s just like that
Then don’t give them your money or time and transfer to another school?
Try not giving boomer ass platitudes that you have clearly put about 20 seconds of thought into.
Do you tell struggling minorities in southern states to ‘just move to a blue state’? I’m sure no one has forgotten this is an option, and I expect that future enrollment to the school is going to be way less, but this is an immediate problem and transferring is a semester-scale solution. Some of the students may be ready to graduate as well.
Actually, a national student strike would be incredibly effective. Just like it was after Kent State.
You cannot fund weapons development on donations alone.
I totally agree! That will probably take some time to get up to speed but I would support that in any way I could
Harvard makes more money from it’s investments than from tuition. I can’t even imagine what their land holdings are netting them.
Other than “wrong thought” what was it that the protesters were doing that required such a heavy handed response?
By contrast, in a country with actual freedom Student protesters at McGill encampment determined to stay after judge rejects injunction
Not free for long if we get our own Trump Jr (aka Bitcoin Milhouse, aka Pierre Pollievre) elected. This would likely be ’ too woke’ for them.
Anti-trans Pierre Pollievre? The same Pierre Pollievre who opposed a tax change only affecting the richest 0.13% of Canadians each year?
Not a big fan oir conservative but pretty sure comparing Pollievre with Trump is laughable at best. You’re thinking of something like the PPC.