Students protested at convocation ceremonies held today on Sunday, May 12.

Several graduates walked out in protest at the Sunday, May 12 Columbia Convocation ceremony for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) PhD students, according to a video posted on the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) Instagram. The video depicts several empty seats inside of the tent while a few graduates sit close to the front. Students can be heard saying, “Free Palestine” while several students walk across the ceremony tent, including one person holding a Palestinian flag. The event was held at the Baker Athletic Complex at 8 am.

Hours later at the same location, some GSAS MA students protested at their ceremony by carrying Palestinian flags as they walked across the stage, as seen in a Columbia SJP Instagram post. “Two separate graduations but the students remind us all of Palestine every time,” the group stated in the caption. “Cancelling commencement was never going to stop the protests.”

Columbia canceled its main Commencement ceremony on Monday, May 6, citing security concerns. This came after several weeks of Columbia administrators offering little details on the status of Commencement. President Shafik stated Columbia will continue Commencement in a statement released hours before the second April 29 arrests, notifying students that negotiations between the University and student protesters have ceased. The event was canceled one week later after a prolonged shutdown of the main campus.

Columbia’s main campus via Bwog Staff