Columbia University canceled its university-wide commencement ceremony for 2024 graduates in favor of “smaller-scale, school-based celebrations,” the Ivy League university said on Monday, after anti-Israel protests have rocked its campus for weeks.
Columbia made the decision over security concerns, almost a week after the New York Police Department evacuated and arrested over 100 pro-Palestinian protesters on campus. The university requested the police take action after protesters barricaded themselves inside a campus building to protest the Israel-Hamas war. An anti-Israel encampment first sprang up at Columbia on April 17.
During last week’s mass protest, Columbia president Minouche Shafik asked the NYPD to maintain a police presence on campus until at least May 17, two days after the university’s commencement was previously scheduled.
Instead of the large commencement, several ceremonies will be held for specific majors.
“Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families. They are eager to cross the stage to applause and family pride and hear from their school’s invited guest speakers,” Columbia said, according to NBC News. “As a result, we will focus our resources on those school ceremonies and on keeping them safe, respectful, and running smoothly.”
The smaller ceremonies, scheduled to take place from May 10-16, will be relocated from Morningside Heights’ front lawn, where a multitude of pro-Palestinian protesters pitched their tents. Encampment participants called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for Columbia to divest its financial ties from Israel.
Columbia is also considering replacing its large commencement ceremony with a similarly sized event, promising more details will be forthcoming soon.
“These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for our community. Just as we are focused on making our graduation experience truly special, we continue to solicit student feedback and are looking at the possibility of a festive event on May 15 to take the place of the large, formal ceremony,” Columbia said. “We are eager to all come together for our graduates and celebrate our fellow Columbians as they, and we, look ahead to the future. We will share more in the coming days.”
Columbia is not the only university to alter its commencement plans for graduating students. Last month, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles canceled its main commencement ceremony due to security concerns over campus protests. The ceremony would have taken place May 10. According to its commencement schedule, USC will instead host a graduation celebration at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on May 9 and individual ceremonies throughout the week.
Over the weekend, the University of Michigan saw pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating at the start of its commencement. No protesters were arrested after they walked up the main aisle and chanted anti-Israel rhetoric; they were instead escorted to the back of the stadium and stayed there until the end of the ceremony.