On the morning of Monday, April 29, President Shafik announced that negotiations with Encampment leaders have ended. President Shafik stated that the University would not divest and laid out various offers given to negotiators. A notice circulated around the Encampment stated that all protesters must leave the Encampment by 2 pm and self-identify, lest face suspension.

President Shafik Email

At 8:05 am on Monday, April 29, President Minouche Shafik issued a statement announcing that negotiations between the University and Encampment leaders have ceased. President Shafik also wrote that the University would not divest, listing alternative offers given to negotiators. A notice distributed throughout the Encampment stated that all protesters must leave by 2 pm and self-identify; otherwise, they will face suspension. 

President Shafik’s email began by stating the University’s commitment to “four core principles, which underpin all of our work and our shared values as a community.” Shafik shared these four values stating that “we must keep all members of our community physically safe on campus… we are committed to academic freedom and to ensuring that all members of our community have the right to speak their minds… just as everyone at Columbia has the right to express their views, they must respect the rights of others to do the same… [and] our values… compel us to condemn hate.” 

Shafik wrote, “Antisemitic language and actions are unacceptable, and calls for violence are simply abhorrent.” Additionally, she wrote that she knows that “many of our Jewish students, and other students as well… have left campus,” stating that this decision is a “tragedy.” She reassured those students by stating, “This is your campus too.” 

Shafik noted she has “worked hard to balance [the four] principles.” She reported that since Wednesday, a “small group” of academic leaders has engaged in “constructive dialogue” with student organizers to “find a path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment and adherence to university policies going forward.” Shafik stated that this group did not come to an agreement. She continued, “Both sides in these discussions put forward robust and thoughtful offers to reach a common ground” and she “wish[es] they had reached a different outcome.”

The University stated its goals for the talks; it was meant to be a “collaborative resolution with the protestors that would result in the orderly removal of the encampment from the lawn.” Students were also “asked to commit going forward to following the university’s rules.” 

Shafik outlined the various proposals to the students. She stated that divestment proposals must go through the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing and offered to “publish a process for students to access a list of Columbia’s direct investment holdings.” Additionally, the University proposed to “convene a faculty committee to address academic freedom and to begin a discussion on access and financial barriers to academic programs and global centers.” Shafik wrote that the University also “offered to make investments in health and education in Gaza, including supporting early childhood development and support for displaced scholars.” These proposals were shared on Sunday evening in an SJP and CUAD statement posted on Instagram, whereby they also indicated why they have been refused by organizers in negotiations.

Shafik stated, “As the past seven months have shown, our campus is roiled by divisions over the war in Gaza.” While the University has “sought to facilitate opportunities for our students and faculty to engage in constructive dialogue, and provided ample space for protests and vigils to take place peacefully and without disruptions to academic life,” the University must “take into account the rights of all members of our community.”

She claimed that the “encampment has created an unwelcoming environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty,” and “external actors” have contributed to that “unsafe” environment for everyone, “in violation of Title VI.”

Shafik stated that while the University has “no intention of suppressing speech or the right to peaceful protest,” with protests only being allowed to continue “by application with two-days’ notice in authorized locations.”

Currently, the University intends to hold Commencement as, she wrote, “we owe it to all of our graduates and their loved ones to honor their achievement. “ 

Finally, Shafik “urge[d] those in the encampment to voluntarily disperse.” However, she stated the University is “consulting with a broader group in our community to explore alternative internal options to end this crisis.”

President Rosenbury Email

Barnard President Laura Rosenbury emailed the Barnard community one hour later at 9:15 am. She stated that Shafik’s email was shared with Columbia this morning, and she “want[ed] to make sure the Barnard community sees it as well.”

Rosenbury “join[ed] President Shafik in urging people to leave the encampment on Columbia’s lawn.” She continued that as classes are over and the reading period and exams are beginning, “this is a time to ensure that all students have the space and time to focus and excel.” She argued that she has a “strong respect for the right to demonstrate, but [the College] must make certain that our community is a safe and welcoming place for all.” 

She offered the email of the Dean of the College if any student needs support “including assistance in leaving the encampment.” 

Encampment Notice 

On Monday morning, Columbia also issued a notice to the students protesting in the Encampment.

The letter outlined an “Alternative Resolution” process for students who have violated University policies “by participating in the encampment in April 2024.” The Alternative Resolution process involves agreeing to be placed on “disciplinary probation” until “June 30, 2025, or the date of the conferral of your degree, whichever is earlier,” complying with all University policies in the future. According to the notice, if the students follow these instructions, they will be “eligible to complete the semester in good standing (and will not be placed on suspension) as long as [they] adhere to that commitment.”

The notice stated that the University has already identified many students in the Encampment, and that those who do not leave by 2 pm and sign the attestation “will be suspended pending further investigation.” The document clarified that this suspension means being restricted from all Columbia campuses and facilities with deactivation of students’ CUIDs, being ineligible to participate in classes, take final exams, and being required to email Public Safety if they need to access campus to “conduct official business on Columbia University property.” Thus, students who do not comply will be unable to be in residential buildings or finish the Spring 2024 semester. If seniors do not comply, they will be ineligible for graduation. 

The notice also wrote that students already involved in disciplinary proceedings with the University are not eligible for the arrangements that the form proposes, and “may not be eligible to complete the semester in good standing.” 

At the end of the letter, students can sign with their name, UNI, signature, and date. The notice wrote, “We know you have worked hard this semester and very much hope that you will accept this alternative resolution of the pending disciplinary matter.”

Notice circulated in the Encampment

Email sent by President Minouche Shafik to members of the Columbia community at 8:05 am on Monday, April 29: 

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:

Our university is committed to four core principles, which underpin all of our work and our shared values as a community:

First, we must keep all members of our community physically safe on campus.

Second, we are committed to academic freedom and to ensuring that all members of our community have the right to speak their minds.

Third, just as everyone at Columbia has the right to express their views, they also must respect the rights of others to do the same. As a result, protests must comply with time, place, and manner restrictions which, for example, prevent loud protests at night when other students are trying to sleep or prepare for exams. One group’s rights to express their views cannot come at the expense of another group’s right to speak, teach, and learn.

Fourth, our values—as well as our duties under civil rights laws—compel us to condemn hate and to protect every member of our community from harassment and discrimination. Antisemitic language and actions are unacceptable and calls for violence are simply abhorrent.

I know that many of our Jewish students, and other students as well, have found the atmosphere intolerable in recent weeks. Many have left campus, and that is a tragedy.  To those students and their families, I want to say to you clearly: You are a valued part of the Columbia community. This is your campus too. We are committed to making Columbia safe for everyone, and to ensuring that you feel welcome and valued.

We’ve worked hard to balance these principles. To that end, since Wednesday, a small group of academic leaders has been in constructive dialogue with student organizers to find a path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment and adherence to university policies going forward. Regretfully, we were not able to come to an agreement.

Both sides in these discussions put forward robust and thoughtful offers and worked in good faith to reach common ground. We thank them all for their diligent work, long hours, and careful effort and wish they had reached a different outcome.

The university’s goal for the talks was a collaborative resolution with the protestors that would result in the orderly removal of the encampment from the lawn. The students also were asked to commit going forward to following the university’s rules, including those on the time, place, and manner for demonstrations and events.

While the university will not divest from Israel, the university offered to develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the body that considers divestment matters. The university also offered to publish a process for students to access a list of Columbia’s direct investment holdings, and to increase the frequency of updates to that list of holdings.

Additionally, the university offered to convene a faculty committee to address academic freedom and to begin a discussion on access and financial barriers to academic programs and global centers. The university also offered to make investments in health and education in Gaza, including supporting early childhood development and support for displaced scholars. There are important ideas that emerged from this dialogue, and we plan to explore pursuing them in the future.

As the past seven months have shown, our campus is roiled by divisions over the war in Gaza. All year, we have sought to facilitate opportunities for our students and faculty to engage in constructive dialogue, and we have provided ample space for protests and vigils to take place peacefully and without disruptions to academic life.

But we must take into account the rights of all members of our community. The encampment has created an unwelcoming environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty. External actors have contributed to creating a hostile environment in violation of Title VI, especially around our gates, that is unsafe for everyone—including our neighbors. With classes now concluding, it represents a noisy distraction for our students studying for exams and for everyone trying to complete the academic year.

Consistent with our interim demonstration policies, after reading days, exams, and commencement, protests may continue on campus by application with two-days’ notice in authorized locations. We have no intention of suppressing speech or the right to peaceful protest.

We also do not want to deprive thousands of students and their families and friends of a graduation celebration. Please recall that many in this graduating class did not get a celebration when graduating from high school because of the pandemic, and many of them are the first in their families to earn a university degree. We owe it to all of our graduates and their loved ones to honor their achievement. We want to reassure our community who are trying to make plans that we will indeed hold a commencement.

For all of the reasons above, we urge those in the encampment to voluntarily disperse. We are consulting with a broader group in our community to explore alternative internal options to end this crisis as soon as possible. We will continue to update the community with new developments.

Sincerely,

Minouche Shafik

President, Columbia University in the City of New York

Email sent from Barnard President Laura Rosenbury to the Barnard community at 9:15 am on Monday, April 29. 

Dear Members of the Barnard Community,

President Shafik shared the message below with students, faculty, and staff at Columbia this morning. I want to make sure the Barnard community sees it as well. 

I join President Shafik in urging people to leave the encampment on Columbia’s lawn. As we end classes and move into reading period and exams, this is a time to ensure that all students have the space and time to focus and excel. I reiterate my strong respect for the right to demonstrate, but we must make certain that our community is a safe and welcoming place for all. If you know of any student who needs support during this time, including assistance in leaving the encampment, please email deanofthecollege@barnard.edu.  

Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other.

Laura Rosenbury

President, Barnard College

Notice circulated throughout the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the morning of Monday, April 29: 

Columbia is committed to the well-being and safety of all students, and follows two principles in managing public speech on campus: the right of members of the community to engage in protest and free expression, and the right of members of the community to pursue their academic activities without interruptions and free of harassment and discrimination. These principles are embodied in the Rules of University Conduct and other policies governing conduct on campus.

As you are probably aware, the dialogue between the University and student leaders of the encampment is, regrettably, at an impasse. The current unauthorized encampment and disruption on Columbia University’s campus is creating an unwelcoming environment for members of our community. External actors have also contributed to this environment, especially around our gates, causing safety concerns – including for our neighbors.

Exams are beginning and thousands of your peers are due to graduate. These are among the most significant aspects of students’ academic programs. Many of this year’s graduates were deprived of a graduation celebration from high school because of the pandemic. For many of their families, this will be the first time anyone in their family has completed college and received a degree.

We urge you to remove the encampment so that we do not deprive your fellow students, their families and friends of this momentous occasion. The University will offer an alternative venue for demonstrations after the exam period and commencement have concluded. If the encampment is not removed, we will need to initiate disciplinary procedures because of a number of violations of university policies. These are policies you agreed to adhere to when you joined our community.

We have explained that this encampment violates multiple University policies, including:

• The Rules of University of Conduct
• Disruptive Behavior (Standards and Discipline, pp. 4-9)
• University Policy, Violation (Standards and Discipline, pp. 4-9) including but not limited to operations policies regarding “tenting”
• Failure to Comply (Standards and Discipline, pp. 4-9)
• Vandalism/Damage to Property (Standards and Discipline, pp. 4-9)
• Access/Egress, Unauthorized (Standards and Discipline, pp. 4-9)
• Harassment and/or violation of the Columbia University Non-Discrimination Statement (Standards and Discipline, pp. 4-9)

Please promptly gather your belongings and leave the encampment. If you voluntarily leave by 2 p.m., identify yourself to a University official, and sign the provided form where you commit to abide by all University policies through June 30, 2025, or the date of the conferral of your degree, whichever is earlier, you will be eligible to complete the semester in good standing (and will not be placed on suspension) as long as you adhere to that commitment. We want to do all that we can to allow our graduating students to finish their studies.

It is important for you to know that the University has already identified many students in the encampment. If you do not identify yourself upon leaving and sign the form now, you will not be eligible to sign and complete the semester in good standing. If you do not leave by 2 p.m., you will be suspended pending further investigation.

Please understand that during interim suspension:

1. You are restricted from all Columbia University campuses, facilities and property, including all academic, residential and recreational spaces. Your CUID will no longer be valid and will be deactivated. You will need to contact your Dean of Students to make arrangements to obtain your personal belongings.

2. You are ineligible to participate in any Columbia University classes and academic or extracurricular activities. You are not permitted to complete the Spring 2024 semester, including participate in classes or exams in-person or remotely or otherwise submit assignments or engage in any activities affiliated with Columbia University. You may lose the semester: If you are scheduled to graduate, you are no longer eligible.

3. If you need to conduct any official business on Columbia University property, you must notify the Department of Public Safety, at publicsafety@columbia.edu

If you are a student at an affiliated institution, the University will notify your home institution.

We very much hope that you will leave the encampment and sign the form on your departure. If you decide not to, the University may pursue action under all of the rules and policies described above. Sanctions include probation, access restriction, suspension for a term or more and expulsion. We regret that we need to take these actions, but we must restore order to the campus so that all students can complete their work for the term, study for exams, and feel welcome in the community.

The University has closed the Morningside campus to individuals without Columbia University Identification. Anyone on the University’s campus without valid Columbia University identification, on the University’s West Lawn, or establishing an encampment anywhere else on Columbia University property is trespassing.

If you are currently involved in a disciplinary process or have already received discipline, you are not eligible for the arrangements described in the form and may not be eligible to complete the semester in good standing. In addition, if you are charged with discrimination or harassment regarding conduct occurring in the encampment, we will continue to address those concerns through our disciplinary processes, and you will no longer be eligible for the arrangements in the form.

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