Columbia University classes go hybrid; Faculty members conduct walkouts in solidarity with arrested students

The faculty members of Columbia University condemned the institution for calling the police on campus and in solidarity with arrested students, they demonstrated a walkout on Monday. Amid the ongoing tension in the university, its main campus classes will be hybrid until the spring semester ends.

Last week, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik called the New York Police Department to the campus to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest on campus in which more than 100 protesting students got arrested. The faculty members have condemned the institution for calling the police on student protestors and conducted a massive walkout on Monday in solidarity with arrested students at last week's pro-Palestinian protest.

In-person classes move to virtual format

In this ongoing situation, in-person classes remain suspended and the university has announced the remote classes. The decision was announced by the president via email citing the need to "deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps."

“Safety is our highest priority as we strive to support our students’ learning and all the required academic operations,” the university said in an announcement Monday night, as reported by CNN.com.

The protests also saw the setting up of a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on the university grounds. The protest was part of a broader wave of campus unrest related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

As per the TOI report, the White House and President Joe Biden have also responded to the ongoing tension on the campus. He condemned any antisemitic actions linked to campus protests and emphasised the importance of safety and peace for all students.

Arrests at Yale University 

The unrest has spread to many other schools including Yale University where a minimum of 16 people including some students, have been arrested over pro-Palestinian protests. There are reports of harassment of Jewish students at Yale University, similar to the incidents at Columbia University. In solidarity with Columbia University's Barnard College 'Gaza Plaza Liberated Zone' came up at Yale University. At Barnard College, 100 students, including US Congresswoman Ilhan Omer's daughter Isra Hirsi, were arrested on April 18.

New York University also saw a protest and asked the NYPD to intervene during the protest on Monday night. 

“This occurred without notice to the University, and authorization. The University closed access to the plaza, put barriers in place, and made clear that we were not going to allow additional protesters to join because the protests were already considerably disruptive of classes and other operations in schools around the plaza," said the official statement of the university.

Read more:

• Columbia University: 108 anti-Israel protesters arrested by NYPD
• Antisemitism has no place in Columbia University, says President
• Global Conflicts not similar to J&K situation, says Indian Student Association at Columbia