Now that school is fully in session, Columbia students can focus on what they really came here for: the opportunity to share their righteous outrage via protest. Almost every nice day (and some rainy ones, as in the case of yesterday’s yellow-wearing, Hong Kong-supporting, apparently water-proof protestors) has seen some form of demonstration between Low Steps and the sundial. History Heartbreaker Hannah Kramer went into the archives to check out the protests of Columbia’s past, and was unsurprised to find a long and rich history.

Standing on soapboxes: Columbia on the cutting edge of action to become synonymous with obnoxious behavior

These students informed classmates of their opinions on literal soapboxes and with animated gesticulation. The construction of the sundial has put soapboxes out of style and megaphones make hand motions unnecessary, but trench coats and strong opinions are definitely still in vogue.

Alma and her fedora boys

Clearly #noredtape wasn’t the first group to almost suffocate poor Alma; these guys are nearly pulling her arms off too. The symbol of the university was no less central to protests back in the 1940’s than now, although the return of those classy fedoras would definitely be an improvement on our modern-day protestors.

We don’t actually have new hippies; these ones just never left.

This is Columbia, how could we not have hippies? These guys are the ultimate image of peaceful rebellion against the man and this dude (possibly a professor, definitely a wise sage for those adoring students) is a perfect image of civil disobedience. Also, those well-groomed lawns in front of Butler are definitely comfortable enough for a protest that could outlive the Occupy movement.

When in doubt, it’s a protest

Could be a conga line, or some sort of strange early 20th-century induction ritual, but I’d like to think of it as one of Columbia’s more orderly protests. They’re Columbia students after all, they must be angry about something.

Unfortunately preceding the birth of Neil Degrasse Tyson

This guy. What a rebel. #respect