Columbia stands firm!
That's right. No matter what -- they have decided they WILL NOT, under any circumstances, call in the police again.
A few hours ago, Columbia admins (including President Shafik) put out a new statement. As context — the encampment is still in place, and three different so-called “deadlines” for the students (and faculty) to leave have come and gone. Earlier, President Shafik had reported there had been progress in negotiating with the students, and the students had agreed to a number of minor concessions. The students did not hold up their part of the bargain of course — because, why would they?
I really think that Shafik and the others need to get out in the real world a little more. The idea that the administration of a major university would “negotiate” with a group of protesting students, as if they were all equals, seems to most normal people (that is — people who do not work in academia) as nuts. I wonder what congressional representatives Virginia Foxx, and Elise Stefanik, and Kathy Manning, and Tim Walberg, and all of the other members of the House committee that met with Shafik last week think now about all the promises that Shafik made to them during her testimony?
So, without further ado — my annotated posting of the Columbia announcement.
Dear fellow members of the Columbia Community,
Throughout this very challenging year, we have adhered to a simple goal: to continue our academic mission while keeping campus safe and enforcing our rules fairly. That is the bedrock of every decision we make, and we are writing at this time to reiterate that thinking.
We called on NYPD to clear an encampment once, but we all share the view, based on discussions within our community and with outside experts, that to bring back the NYPD at this time would be counterproductive, further inflaming what is happening on campus, and drawing thousands to our doorstep who would threaten our community.
In other words — they have decided to cave completely to the mob on campus, and off, and they are making it clear that they do not think they, and the city of New York, can keep the campus safe from all of the “non violent protesters”. And what if there are acts of violence? Will they call in the police then?
Having said that, we also need to continue to enforce our own rules and ensure that those who violate the norms of our community face consequences.
Is there a difference between violating the written code of conduct of the university and violating what the letter refers to as the “norms of our community”? I guess so — because every student and faculty member who is still part of the encampment has violated the Columbia code of conduct, and there is no hint that they will face consequences for simply continuing with their protest as is.
The last week has been a period of deep tension and division on our campus, with significant disruption to our community. Many of you are attempting to finish the term, prepare for exams, and work on your research, and the uncertainty and chaotic atmosphere of demonstrations inside our campus and just outside the perimeter has made that challenging to say the least.
OK — some passing reference to what most people think is the business of the university — research, teaching, studying. And they acknowledge that the protest is disrupting that business. But oh well. I guess the students studying for exams will just have to grin and bear it and accept that the most that the administration can do is to acknowledge that the situation is “challenging to say the least”. I really do like that last phrase, because saying that really is the absolutely least they can do.
We know that many of you feel threatened by the atmosphere and the language being used and have had to leave campus. That is unacceptable. Many of you also are concerned about being able to speak out for a cause you feel passionately about. That also is unacceptable. Fundamental to the research and teaching mission of our university is academic freedom and an environment free from discrimination and harassment for every member of our community.
I’m not sure they know what the word “unacceptable” really means — because it means nothing without clear consequences, and they are acknowledging there will be none, except in rare, quite extreme, cases.
We want to be absolutely clear. The antisemitism being expressed by some individuals is intolerable and the safety situation has become concerning, particularly with the involvement of individuals not associated with Columbia.
Aha. The antisemitism is “concerning”. I’m sure that makes Jewish students feel much much better now. And if they know there are individuals involved with the protest who are not associated with Columbia, the obvious action to take is to charge them with criminal trespass. But they are not going to do that. So what’s the point?
Chants, signs, taunts, and social media posts from our own students that mock and threaten to “kill” Jewish people are totally unacceptable, and Columbia students who are involved in such incidents will be held accountable. We can report that one individual whose vile videos have surfaced in recent days is now banned from campus.
So they are threatening to take action against students (and non-students?) who threaten to murder Jews. What about those who chant about globalizing the intifada — which means, threatening to kills Jews? What about those who call on Hamas to send their rockets to kill Jews on campus? Etc. Etc. Anything? Obviously not.
We all agree that this situation must be resolved so that everyone can complete the semester, students can go home, and we can provide graduating students and their loved ones the celebratory commencement they deserve.
I’m sure that Shafik and the other admins are desperately praying for a safe and non-disrupted graduation ceremony — and they can’t wait for the students to go home. Just one question — without help from the police, how are they going to do that? I wonder what the betting line is on Columbia having a successful commencement ceremony? I’m guessing that there are not many who are optimistic.
We support the conversations that are ongoing with student leaders of the encampment, under the guidance of academic leaders. Our goal is a safe resolution of this crisis. We hope to see concrete signs of progress tonight that will lead to a significant improvement in the atmosphere on our Morningside campus.
It has certainly gone well so far. And without the threat of police action — the only real threat that they administration has would be to actually expel the students. They certainly haven’t shown a willingness to do that so far. Sounds like some fun days ahead.
Further updates will be shared tomorrow.
Sincerely,
David Greenwald
Co-Chair, Board of Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Claire Shipman
Co-Chair, Board of Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Minouche Shafik
President, Columbia University in the City of New York
Angela Olinto
Provost, Columbia University in the City of New York