After a summer away from campus, many students have returned to increased security measures and an unsure sense of what this means for life at Columbia. 

It’s hard to remember a time when campus was open to a diverse crowd of bustling New Yorkers walking their dogs on a Saturday morning or lugging their week’s worth of groceries between Broadway and Amsterdam. Now our “golden ticket” is a CUID/BCID–no, truly, because losing this one ID has become more nightmarish than losing an entire wallet. To top it all off, instead of just tapping the ID once, we have had to go through a two-step verification process in the first few weeks of fall semester. On our phones we can press ignore or “remind me tomorrow,” but on campus it’s mandatory. We also returned this fall to the new additions of security booths, heightening the uncertainty of campus accessibility.  

The first day of classes highlighted the rising tension of gate closures and added security measures, not only on campus, but outside of it as well. Bwog had the opportunity to speak to Dave Robinson, the co-founder and president of Morningside Heights Community Coalition and a housing advocate of over 40 years. MHCC was one of the organizations that participated in a demonstration on the first day of classes urging for the gates to be re-opened.  

Morningside Heights Community Coalition (MHCC) is a volunteer-based organization originally formed to oppose luxury housing developments that pushed many existing nearby tenants out of their homes. MHCC and Columbia entered periodic discussions due to the University’s purchase of residential rent-stabilized housing. Although there has been progress on that issue, the gate closures open up a myriad of new problems. 

Robinson described the campus before the gate closures as “…a place where we [residents of the neighborhood] have freely come and gone, both as a means of access to Amsterdam and Broadway, and just as a place for both relaxation and people, they grew up here, and kids play on the campus.. It’s been a community space… all of that has really been derailed by the gate closures.”

The demonstration on the first day of classes allowed MHCC to reach a lot of people walking back and forth on Broadway, including relaying a message to new students that extra security may seem standard, but it has never been the norm for this community. Robinson noted that even neighbors and tenants that do not usually go to political demonstrations came to support the cause. MHCC plans on having another demonstration on October 4th, marching through Morningside Heights to demand opening the gates.

To Robinson, campus has always been a part of the community and the gate closures symbolize an attempt to wall off campus from the surrounding area. It’s counterproductive, not only for community members, but for students that come to Columbia to experience the city. 

Robinson notes that open communities are what make the city special: “Part of being in the city is the way urban environments work: they’re not walled off, neighborhoods flow one into another… People have encounters and that’s what makes city life work”. 

MHCC has had many discussions with Columbia over the years about a variety of issues–often about housing in the neighborhood–and has met with Columbia administrators about the gate closures alongside community board members. Although these meetings have yet to materialize into the gates being reopened, Robinson remains hopeful. When asked about the new additions of security booths, Robinson acknowledges that it seems to be permanent to people, but asserts that the inclusion of new structures doesn’t necessarily indicate long term closure, as there have always been security booths at the main Amsterdam gates and even nearby at Morningside Park. 

Robinson concluded his call with Bwog with a sentiment of encouragement. He urged Barnard and Columbia students to continue working, interacting, and engaging with local neighborhood communities (including MHCC) despite the heightened security and restricted access to campus. This increased security does not define the nature of this community. 

But, the community and students continue to feel the impacts of the changes to campus, including these new additions of security booths and two-step verification at the gates. This two-step verification comes after a lawsuit filed by Morningside Heights residents on January 15th, 2025, who argued that Columbia is violating a 1953 agreement to allow public access to campus. In April, The New York County Supreme Court ruled to keep Columbia’s gates closed until further hearing. Columbia’s preliminary argument hinges on using restricted campus access to ensure that students feel “welcome, safe and secure” on campus.

Bwog reached out to the Office of Public Affairs regarding the new guard booths and increased security. The Office did not comment, but instead redirected us to the University’s released statement on September 12 that re-established the public safety resources available to members of the Columbia community. The letter states: “New, temporary security booths are in place at several Morningside campus entry points. The new booths reduce our footprint on the sidewalk while providing a climate-controlled environment for our staff. Staff inside the booths and throughout the campus perimeter are present to assist members of our community or visitors to our campus.” 

These additions of new measures such as two-step verification and more permanent security booths begs the question: Are these gate closures permanent or temporary? It feels that the community, of both students and residents, continue to aggregate more questions than answers. For Morningside Heights residents and students alike, there’s a bigger question– how long is “temporary”?

Lara Barg and Shyla Upadhyay contributed to this story

Image via Wikimedia Commons