Columbia University has expelled, suspended, or revoked degrees from students who occupied Hamilton Hall last spring during pro-Palestinian protests. The university’s Judicial Board announced the sanctions Thursday, marking the latest chapter in a controversy that gripped the Ivy League institution and sparked a nationwide movement.

“The outcomes issued by the UJB are based on its evaluation of the severity of behaviors at these events and prior disciplinary actions,” Columbia said in a message to the school community, emphasizing that the decisions followed “thorough and rigorous” investigative processes.

The university has not disclosed the number of students impacted by the penalties, but the move underscores Columbia’s newfound hardline approach to the high-profile demonstrations that unfolded on its campus – after the Trump administration withdrew $400 million in funding for the university.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall on April 30, 2024, came after protesters defied orders to disperse. Demonstrators barricaded the building, and by nightfall, the standoff escalated into a full-scale law enforcement intervention. The NYPD raided the hall, arresting dozens of protesters in an operation that reignited debates over antisemitism, free speech, civil disobedience, and the role of law enforcement on college campuses.

According to Columbia’s authorization letter to the NYPD, at least one individual hid inside the building until it was closed, then allowed others to enter. University officials accused the group of trespassing, vandalizing property, and threatening campus security, though they suggested that non-students were among the organizers.

Two security guards inside the hall during the takeover were later released, but the university maintained that the occupation posed an unacceptable risk.

While the Manhattan District Attorney’s office later dropped charges against most protesters due to “extremely limited video or surveillance footage” inside Hamilton Hall, Columbia took a separate path. The university continued its disciplinary proceedings, ultimately delivering one of the most severe responses to campus protests in recent memory.

The crackdown is part of a broader response to the wave of student demonstrations that erupted across the country amid the Israel-Hamas war. At campuses nationwide, hundreds of protesters were arrested, encampments dismantled, and university policies on free speech tested like never before.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)