Columbia University said students who occupied the campus’ Hamilton Hall during pro-Palestinian protests last spring have been expelled, suspended for several years or had their degrees temporarily revoked.
The sanctions were issued by the Columbia University Judicial Board on Thursday, the school said.
“The outcomes issued by the UJB are based on its evaluation of the severity of behaviors at these events and prior disciplinary actions,” the university said in a statement sent to the school community. “These outcomes are the result of following the thorough and rigorous processes laid out in the Rules of University Conduct in our statutes, which include investigations, hearings and deliberations.”
The university did not say how many students were impacted by the sanctions.
“We will continue to work to support our community, including protecting the privacy of our students, during this challenging time and we remain steadfastly committed to our values and our mission,” the school said.
In this April 29, 2024, file photo, demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment on Columbia’s Campus show a banner as they barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, they barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements,, and name it after a Palestinian child allegedly killed by the Israeli military, in New York.
Alex Kent/Getty Images, FILE
In late April 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Hamilton Hall hours after defying the order to disperse. Barricades were set up by protesters outside the occupied building. NYPD officers raided the hall and arrested dozens of protesters.
According to a letter authorizing the NYPD to enter the Columbia University campus and break up the protest, an individual “hid in the building” at Hamilton Hall until it was closed and let others in. The group’s purpose was “occupying the building,” the letter read.
Two security guards were inside the building at the time, and the university said in the letter to the NYPD they were able to “secure their release.”
“We believe that while the group who broke into the building includes students, it is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University,” the letter read. “The individuals who have occupied Hamilton Hall have vandalized University property and are trespassing.”
In this April 30, 2024, file photo, New York Police Department officers detain dozens of pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University after they barricaded themselves at the Hamilton Hall building near Gaza Solidarity Encampment, in New York.
Anadolu via Getty Images, FILE
In June 2024, the Manhattan district attorney’s office moved to dismiss the charges against most of the protesters arrested at Columbia University but said that prosecutors were moving forward with cases against a handful of protesters who allegedly assaulted police officers at Columbia as well as City College.
Prosecutors said at the time that they were hamstrung by “extremely limited video or surveillance footage of what occurred inside Hamilton Hall” since most cameras were covered by the protesters.
Charges against 31 people were dropped, though they still were subject to discipline by Columbia University.
The protest movement connected to the Israel-Hamas war began in April at Columbia and swept across college campuses nationwide.
Hundreds of protesters were arrested at campuses across the country, while encampments were torn down and events canceled.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned in August 2024 following backlash over the institution’s handling of the protests.
The findings of the monthslong disciplinary investigation into the Hamilton Hall occupation comes days after Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a leader in Columbia’s encampment movement, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the campus, despite possessing a green card.
President Donald Trump has alleged that the recent graduate student was a supporter of Hamas — a claim Khalil’s attorney called “false and preposterous — and said his arrest would be the first of “many to come.”
