Columbia University Apartheid Divest held a protest in the Milstein Center lobby on Wednesday, March 5. Demonstrators expressed a number of demands, including the reinstating of three expelled students and a public meeting with Barnard President Laura Rosenbury and Dean Leslie Grinage.

At 1 pm on Wednesday, March 5, student protesters held a sit-in in the Milstein Center lobby. According to Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), the sit-in was held in solidarity with the three Barnard students who were recently expelled for “Pro-Palestine political action and thought.” Wednesday’s sit-in comes one week after CUAD held a sit-in in Milbank Hall to demand the reinstatement of two students who were reportedly expelled for their involvement in a protest that disrupted a History of Modern Israel class in January. The third and most recent expulsion of a Barnard student in alleged connection with pro-Palestinian activism was announced by CUAD on Instagram and in an email sent on Tuesday, March 4.

Around 1:30 pm, shortly after the drumming and chanting began, an announcement was broadcasted over the loudspeaker telling occupants of the building to avoid the first floor. Protesters began to pass out flyers stating their demands, which included the reversal of three Barnard students’ expulsions, amnesty for all students disciplined for pro-Palestine action/thought, a public meeting with Dean Grinage and President Rosenbury, and the abolition of Barnard’s disciplinary process with transparency for current, past and future disciplinary proceedings. 

“WANTED” posters for Grinage and Rosenbury were also put up in the Milstein lobby, with Grinage’s poster reading: “For the wrongful expulsion of Pro-Palestinian students.” The demonstrators wrote “The Students Welcome You To: Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Liberated Zone” on a whiteboard in the lobby and held up posters declaring “Unexpel Our Students Now.”

Simultaneously, protesters set up outside, blocking off the entrance to Milstein and holding up a puppet with a name tag reading “Laura Rosenbury.” A large group of students gathered outside Milstein, some watching the protest through Milstein’s open doors while others attempted to get  inside the building.

Around 2 pm, Kelli A. Murray, the Executive Vice President for Strategy and Chief Administrative Officer, and A-J Aronstein, the Vice President of Community Engagement & Lifelong success, began handing protesters notices that urged them to leave the premises. The notice read, “You are participating in unauthorized activity,” and “This notice is a final request from the College that you immediately cease your participation in this activity.” 

Protesters were warned that “further action as necessary to clear the building” would be taken if they did not leave. Many protesters ignored the handout, with some ripping it up instead. The administrators reportedly also inside the Milstein lobby included Vice President for Strategic Communications Robin Levine and Vice President for Development and Alumnae Relations Michael Farley.

Twenty minutes later, at around 2:20 pm, Barnard admin handed out a second notice, reading, “The Barnard CARES team will now proceed to review your identification and escort you off of the Barnard campus.” Simultaneously, an email from the college was sent, stating that Milstein Library was closed and any classes held in the building would be relocated.

At 2:40 pm, Murray spoke to the protesters, asking them to leave so students could get to class and use the library. In response, the protesters began to sing, “We shall not be moved.” By then, the staircase to the Milstein basement was blocked by yellow tape and safety officers. 

Administrators then began to ask protesters one by one to leave the building, with many protesters refusing their demands. Murray spoke to one of the protesters, telling them, “We have tried” and “I’m trying to help you all.” Protesters went outside and urged the crowd to join them, chanting, “The library is not closed; join us now.”

Around 3 pm, an administrator entered with President Rosenbury on speakerphone, as she was not on campus at the time. A representative of the protesters then asked Rosenbury questions. The first question was about the college’s disciplinary system. Rosenbury replied, claiming she would happily meet with three unmasked Barnard representatives to discuss the matter further. The representative then demanded the reinstatement of the expelled Barnard students, asserting that the group would not be leaving Milstein until then. Rosenbury repeated she would be open to meeting with the protesters, a statement similar to those made by the President and Dean Grinage last week during the Milbank sit-in. 

The representative went on to say that the last time there were negotiations, Rosenbury took back what she said. Again, Rosenbury asserted she would meet with three unmasked representatives, to which the protesters asked her to “unmask” the college’s finances. Later in the conversation, the protesters asked whether these three unmasked representatives would be granted amnesty, to which President Rosenbury replied that the representatives did not need to be present at this specific sit-in. Additionally, she claimed the representatives would not be asked whether they were at the sit-in. When asked again if she would grant written and signed amnesty, Rosenbury reaffirmed she would answer all questions at the potential meeting. She then ended the call.

After the phone call with Rosenbury ended, protesters went outside and said, “Rosenbury refused to meet us in person […] we heard her out, but she refused to hear us out. […] She hung up the phone prematurely […] We took a vote, and we decided unanimously that we will be staying.” Cheers erupted from the crowd, and protesters once more urged the growing crowd to join them. 

Around 3:30 pm, news crews begin to set up outside Barnard’s gates. Bwog reporters also noted NYPD presence outside the main gates. At about the same time, Rosenbury sent a college-wide email stating “We must not allow the actions of a few interfere with our mission. Campus activities outside of Milstein and throughout the rest of the campus are proceeding as normal.” Many classes outside of Milstein took place throughout the sit-in.

After voting to stay in Milstein, protesters began to create art, play music, and pray. Protesters had food and water with them. For around an hour, the atmosphere was relatively calm. At approximately 4 pm, students who did not have an official or student press pass were told to leave, and the administrators once again verbally urged protesters to leave the lobby and distributed flyers. 
According to CUAD’s Instagram, at around 4:26 pm, Barnard administrators claimed that a bomb threat had been made on campus and that all students had to evacuate the Milstein Center. Shortly after 4:30 pm, police began arriving outside campus, setting up barricades and blocking off the roads in front of campus. At 5:01 pm, the NYPD announced on X that they were responding to a bomb threat at the Milstein Center and that anyone who refused to leave the location would be “subject to arrest.” Despite the alleged bomb threat, there was no evacuation effort outside Milstein; instead, Barnard CARES issued a notification at 4:43 pm telling students that those in Barnard buildings other than Milstein should shelter in place and avoid Barnard’s main gate due to police activity.

After 5 pm, NYPD officers entered Barnard’s campus from both the main gate and the basement of Milstein, stating, “There is an active bomb threat on campus; for your safety, you need to leave the courtyard.” “The courtyard” was in reference to Futter Field. Protesters began chanting, “KKK, IOF, they’re all the same.” After a few minutes, police began telling demonstrators “Move back” while pushing students and protestors toward the main gates. A video shared by Bwog on X shows police officers throwing students and protestors to the ground and arresting them. 

Nine individuals were arrested and charged with obstructing governmental administration, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. 

After ushering protesters into barricades outside the Barnard campus gates, police locked the gate, preventing entry and exit from campus despite ongoing safety proceedings investigating the bomb threat. In response, many student onlookers from Barnard Hall began chanting “Boo” and “Free Palestine.” Some students who had been in Barnard Hall and the Diana Center for classes were unable to leave campus until Public Safety escorted them out through the Diana gate on 119th St. The NYPD then began escorting arrested individuals to Milstein.

Police officers and explosive detection K-9s entered Milstein to conduct a sweep and search of the building. Barnard’s Office of Residential Life & Housing sent an email to students, advising those unable to access campus to use the Plimpton, 616, and 121 residence hall lounges as “Barnard spaces to head to” while “safety operations are underway.” Access to campus had been entirely halted at the time the email was sent.

At 6:42 pm, CARES sent an updated email informing students that Barnard’s campus is all clear, but access remains limited to the main gates and BCID holders. Milstein has since been reopened and all operations have returned back to normal. 

At 9:15 pm, Rosenbury sent another email to the Barnard community reflecting on the day’s events, confirming the presence of an “alarming” bomb threat. She assured the community that the “campus is now secure” and the College is “preparing for […] regular academic schedul[ing] to resume on [Thursday] morning.”

She continued, describing the day’s events as “disturbing and unacceptable” and recognized staff members’ attempts to get demonstrators to leave Milstein “at risk to their own personal safety.” She emphasized the multiple opportunities administration gave student protesters to exit Milstein, ultimately leading to the College’s “necessary decision to request NYPD assistance” for the safety of the entire community amid the alleged bomb threat.

Shortly after Rosenbury’s email was sent, Barnard’s Student Government Association (SGA) sent an email condemning the allowance of NYPD officers onto campus, alleging that the College has broken a “long-standing promise,” as Rosenbury had told the SGA “that the College would never invite the NYPD onto campus.”

In their message, SGA outlined three demands of the Barnard administration. The first requested “amnesty for all students connected to the Milstein Library sit-in.” The second requested “good-faith negotiations” between administration, SGA, and protesters to “address longstanding grievances and implement meaningful changes.” The final demand requested a “restructur[ing]” of Barnard’s disciplinary processes to include elected students, administration, and faculty and increase transparency around proceedings.

At 10:25 pm, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Chief Administrative Officer Kelli Murray announced that campus access will be restored to Level B restrictions with some “temporary restrictions.” The only point of entry and exit from campus will be the main Barnard gates, with the exception of those with ADA accommodations that are approved to use the 119th St entrance. Access will be granted to CUID and pre-approved guests as of March 5. No additional guests may be registered until “at least March 10.” Individuals may be asked to unmask for identification purposes and display the contents of their bag upon entering campus.

Email from Barnard President Laura Rosenbury to the Barnard community on Wednesday, March 5 at 3:18 pm:

“Dear Members of the Barnard Community,

Barnard is committed to fostering a safe environment where all students can learn and all members of our community are respected.

Our academic mission is at the heart of what we do, and disruptions to that mission are an affront to the purpose of higher education and cannot be tolerated.

When masked disruptors first entered Milstein, classes were taking place, facilities were cleaning classrooms, and dining staff were preparing meals. We must not allow the actions of a few interfere with our mission. Campus activities outside of Milstein and throughout the rest of the campus are proceeding as normal.

We will continue to manage this disruption and will provide updates as needed.”

Email from Barnard President Laura Rosenbury to the Barnard community on Wednesday, March 5 at 9:15 pm:

Dear Members of the Barnard Community,

Many of us are understandably concerned about the events that have unfolded on campus today. 

First and foremost, I want to assure the community that our campus is now secure.

But earlier today, we received an alarming bomb threat. We are now confident that there is no longer a danger to our community, and we are preparing for our regular academic schedule to resume tomorrow morning.

With that said, I want to share more information about the disturbing and unacceptable events that took place today, prior to the bomb threat, when a group of masked individuals staged an unauthorized protest in the lobby of the Milstein Center, disrupting classes and studies. 

Throughout the afternoon, our staff made repeated requests for the disrupters to leave the building. We issued multiple written warnings and attempted to de-escalate. I spoke with the disrupters by phone and reiterated my willingness to meet with three Barnard students, provided they removed their masks. Again, the disrupters refused to leave. That was unacceptable. 

In the midst of de-escalation efforts, Barnard received a specific threat of a bomb in the Milstein Center.

The safety of our campus, and every single person on our campus, must be protected above all else. The moment we received the bomb threat, we had to clear the Milstein Center and inform the authorities.  

Barnard staff in the building immediately notified the masked disrupters about the bomb threat and once again told them to leave. Many of them still refused to leave.

Our staff, at risk to their own personal safety, remained in the Milstein lobby, urging the masked disrupters to take the threat seriously. Even when the College activated the fire alarm, the masked protesters put our entire campus at risk by refusing to leave. 

At that point, for the safety of our entire community – including the safety of the masked disrupters – Barnard made the necessary decision to request NYPD assistance so they could evacuate the building to reduce the risk of harm. The NYPD were then able to search for the bomb and assess the threat, ultimately determining that the campus was not at risk.

The decision to request NYPD assistance was guided and informed entirely by the absolute obligation we have to keep every member of our community safe.

Today has been unsettling and disturbing, and these continued disruptions take a toll on our community. The desire of a few to disrupt and threaten cannot outweigh the needs of the students, faculty, and staff who call our campus home. 

I urge us to come together with care and respect for each other rooted in our shared commitment to Barnard.

Laura

Email from Barnard Student Government Association to the Barnard community on Wednesday, March 5 at 9:24 pm:

We have seen the images. We have watched the videos. We bear witness to our fellow students—our friends—brutalized and silenced for speaking up on our own campus. The Barnard Student Government Association strongly condemns the presence of NYPD on campus.

Barnard College has broken a long-standing promise. SGA has been explicitly told by President Rosenbury, in the presence of other senior staff, that the College would never invite the NYPD onto campus. To go against this commitment blatantly violates a precedent that was meant to protect our students. Barnard has chosen the repressive path. Any remaining trust between the student body and the administration has been broken after this dangerous decision to use such disproportionate force against students engaging in nonviolent protest.

We have repeatedly stressed to senior administration that their repression of freedom of speech on campus alienates the student body. To the administration who has repeatedly refused to heed SGA’s calls for respect and engage in good-faith negotiation, this is what we have to say:

Calling the police on campus is an act of cowardice. Rather than engage in honest dialogue with our “community of care,” you have chosen to betray your community. In othering students who dissent, Barnard has found itself on the wrong side of their “line in the sand.” The administration’s hypocrisy is overwhelmingly evident, and their priorities of optics over integrity makes their values clear.

We demand the following:

1. Amnesty for all students connected to the Milstein Library sit-in, referred to as the Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Liberated Zone.
2. A good-faith negotiation between senior staff, SGA, and student protestors to address long-standing grievances and implement meaningful changes that reflect the needs and voices of the student body.
3. Restructure the Barnard disciplinary process to incorporate a structure of shared governance between elected students, faculty, and admin, with complete transparency for current, past, and future disciplinary proceedings.

Your response to student actions shapes Barnard’s legacy.

Signed,

Barnard Student Government Association

This is a developing story. Bwog will continue to provide updates as new information emerges.

Authored by Deputy News Editor Hawa Kamara. 

Staff Writers Lara Barg, Zoë Berry, Olin Bose, Marlee Turner, and Bwog Staff contributed reporting.

Images by Bwog Staff and contributing reporters.