Columbia University has canceled its campus-wide graduation ceremony scheduled for next week, after protests related to the war in Gaza led to the arrest of more than 100 people as police cleared encampments at the request of the university.
A graduation gown with a message from the protestors is left outside the encampment at Columbia ... [+]
On Monday, Columbia became the latest school to cancel its two main commencement ceremonies, saying it will instead focus on "school-level ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers."
The campus-wide ceremony, originally scheduled for May 15, could be replaced with another “festive event,” the school said, but specifics have not been announced.
The decision comes two weeks after Columbia canceled its in-person classes and one week after the school started suspending students who refused to vacate their pro-Palestinian encampment.
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Weeks ago, the campuses of Columbia and dozens of other schools across the country erupted in protest over Israel's handling of its war with the militant group Hamas. At Columbia, protesters formed a tent encampment on the school’s Manhattan campus and a smaller group took over a university building, leading the school to call in police. Hundreds of students nationwide have been arrested, some billionaires have threatened to pull donations from schools allowing protests to continue and regularly scheduled events like classes, finals and graduation ceremonies have been impacted.
This is a developing story and will be updated.