GRADUATION CEREMONY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CANCELLED DUE TO GAZA PROTESTS

Mon 06 May 2024:

Columbia University announced on Monday (May 6) that it will be canceling its main graduation ceremony for graduating students next week due to ongoing protests on campus regarding the conflict in Gaza.

The renowned university in the United States stated that it would “forego the university-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15” and instead organize a series of smaller events.

“We have decided to make the centerpiece of our commencement activities our Class Days and school-level ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, rather than the University-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15,” Columbia said in a statement.

Columbia called the past few weeks “incredibly difficult for our community” and further said that they are “determined to give our students the celebration they deserve and “smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families”.

“We will focus our resources on those school ceremonies and on keeping them safe, respectful, and running smoothly. A great deal of effort is already underway to reach that goal,” the university added.

The statement mentioned that the university consulted with student leaders to determine the best approach for handling graduation. Most of the ceremonies, previously planned to occur on the Morningside Heights campus where the protests mainly unfolded, will now be relocated to the university’s primary athletic complex.

Protests at Columbia University garnered national attention, with former United States president Donald Trump likening them to the January 6 Capitol attack.

The protests at Columbia University served as inspiration for similar demonstrations at numerous universities across the US, with students advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and urging their institutions to divest from companies associated with Israel.

Last week, the New York City police cleared a Columbia campus building barricaded by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, resulting in over 100 arrests and the dismantling of an encampment.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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