On Tuesday evening, President Minouche Shafik announced plans for clearing the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, giving Encampment organizers a deadline of midnight to reach an agreement. Upon the chance that an agreement is not reached, President Shafik plans to “consider alternative options.” 

On Tuesday, April 23, President Minouche Shafik sent an email to the members of the Columbia community stating her intention of clearing the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the West Lawn and “restoring calm to campus” for graduation. Encampment organizers have received a deadline of midnight to negotiate with the University. If organizers and the University have not reached an agreement by that time, President Shafik plans to “consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn.” 

President Shafik’s email began by addressing the persisting protests on and off campus and acknowledged ongoing conversations between the protestors and University administration.

In the email, she stated she “fully support[s] the importance of free speech,” however, she claims that “the encampment raises serious safety concerns, disrupts campus life, and has created a tense and at times hostile environment for many members of our community. It is essentially that we move forward with a plan to dismantle it.”

Shafik held that over the last several days, “a small group of faculty, administrators, and University Senators have been in dialogue with student organizers” surrounding the Encampment and University policies moving forward. With a deadline of 12 am on Wednesday, April 24, she stated that she “hopes these discussions are successful.” Shafik stated that if an agreement is not reached, the University “will have to consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn and restoring calm to campus so that students can complete the term and graduate.”

According to BreakThrough News, “reputable sources from inside the Columbia encampment confirm[ed] to BT that the administration threatened, in its negotiations with student leaders, to bring in the National Guard.” Demonstrators outside of 116th and Broadway have also reported the allegations that President Shafik intends to implement the National Guard on campus. 

Bwog has yet to confirm these claims and is awaiting a response from the University. 

The President reiterated the University’s policies against “discriminatory behavior,” stating that the University is working to identify protestors in violation of those policies and that they would be “put through appropriate disciplinary processes.” Shafik also acknowledged the presence of “outside protestors” who participated in the ongoing protests and thanked the City and State of New York for their role in “managing this crisis.” 

Further updates will be provided as the dialogue progresses.

Update made on Tuesday, April 23 at 10:25 pm:

Bwog reached out to Columbia regarding the reports of intended presence of the National Guard on campus, to which an official responded that the University has no comment.

Email from President Shafik to students on Tuesday, April 23 at 9:41 pm:

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:

Nearly four days ago, the West Lawn of the Morningside campus was turned into an encampment by hundreds of student activists. I fully support the importance of free speech, respect the right to demonstrate, and recognize that many of the protestors have gathered peacefully. However, the encampment raises serious safety concerns, disrupts campus life, and has created a tense and at times hostile environment for many members of our community. It is essential that we move forward with a plan to dismantle it.

For several days, a small group of faculty, administrators, and University Senators have been in dialogue with student organizers to discuss the basis for dismantling the encampment, dispersing, and following university policies going forward. Those talks are facing a deadline of midnight tonight to reach agreement.

I very much hope these discussions are successful. If they are not, we will have to consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn and restoring calm to campus so that students can complete the term and graduate. I am deeply sensitive to the fact that graduating seniors spent their first year attending Columbia remotely. We all very much want these students to celebrate their well-deserved graduation with family and friends.

I also want to be clear that we will not tolerate intimidating, harassing, or discriminatory behavior. We are working to identify protestors who violated our policies against discrimination and harassment, and they will be put through appropriate disciplinary processes. The right to protest is essential and protected at Columbia, but harassment and discrimination is antithetical to our values and an affront to our commitment to be a community of mutual respect and kindness.

I am grateful for the support of City and State officials in managing this crisis, which has drawn a large volume of outside protestors around our perimeter, exacerbating security concerns and producing much of the incendiary language that is causing deep distress for many in our community.

We will provide further updates tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Minouche Shafik

President, Columbia University in the City of New York

Gaza Solidarity Encampment via Bwog Staff