On Thursday, November 30th, members of the coalition Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) engaged in two demonstrations in reaction to a University-held event and the annual Tree Lighting ceremony.

Gillian Lester will end her tenure as Dean of Columbia Law School at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year, but will return to full time teaching  as a member of the Faculty of Law. 

On Monday, November 20, alumni of Columbia and Barnard gathered outside of Columbia’s main gates to protest the University’s recent suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace, participating in a “denouncement ceremony” and “un-graduating” from the University.

In an open letter sent on November 17, elected officials urge Columbia President Minouche Shafik and Senior Executive Vice President Gerald Rosberg to reinstate Students for Justice in Palestine and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace for the remaining part of the semester.

On Wednesday afternoon, moments after a faculty protest concluded on Low Steps, demonstrators gathered outside the entrances to Barnard and Columbia to protest the suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace.  Content warning: graphic descriptions of violence, guns.

On Wednesday at 1 pm, University faculty members gathered on Low Steps to protest the recent suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace, and to demand the University affirm its commitment to free speech. Content warning: mentions of violence.

On Tuesday, November 14, the Palestinian Student Union (DAR) held a protest in support of Palestine and in solidarity with the recently suspended organizations Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).  Content warning: Mentions of violence. 

On Monday, Columbia President Minouche Shafik, alongside the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, announced a multi-pronged plan to respond to the abuses of former CUIMC gynecologist Robert Hadden. Shafik’s statement also included the first public apology from Columbia University for its role in the case. Content warning: This story contains mentions of sexual assault.

Three days after the University announced it would suspend Students for Justice in Palestine and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace, an open letter titled “From Jewish Students: Protecting the Free Speech of our Peers” began circulating among Columbia and Barnard students. 

After two protests mounted on College Walk, students at Teachers College gathered Thursday afternoon for a walkout of their own in solidarity with Palestine.

On Friday, the University announced that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace, two student groups responsible for organizing a number of recent demonstrations on campus, would be suspended as groups for the remainder of the fall semester.

On Thursday, a gathering to support the hostages of Hamas and a walkout to support Palestine both mounted on College Walk, drawing an increased NYPD presence on campus, renewed gate closures, and additional barricades.

The Columbia Social Workers for Palestine, a new student collective at the School of Social Work, organized a sit-in on November 8 in support of Palestine.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik and Barnard President Laura Rosenbury announced the formation of a Doxing Resource Group composed of offices at Columbia and Barnard, which will serve as a “point of contact for issues related to doxing, harassment, and online security.”

Columbia President Minouche Shafik, Barnard President Laura Rosenbury, and Teachers College President Thomas Bailey sent out a joint statement on November 1 announcing a community-wide Task Force on Antisemitism.