Columbia Said It Would Expel Students Occupying a Building
Early this morning, dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters stormed into an academic building on Columbia University’s campus and used furniture to barricade themselves inside. They smashed windows, unfurled banners and created a makeshift system to deliver food to demonstrators who, as of this evening, still remain inside. This afternoon, university officials announced that students involved in the building’s occupation would face expulsion.
Columbia closed the entire Manhattan campus to everyone except students who live in dorms there and employees who provide essential services. The arrests of protesters there about two weeks ago helped set off a cascade of campus activism. Here’s the latest on protests across the country.
Officials at Portland State University closed the campus after students broke into its library, and police officers made new arrests at universities in Virginia, North Carolina and elsewhere. More than 1,000 people have been detained on American campuses since April 18.
In some areas, there were signs that the disruption might be waning. Police officers managed to end the eight-day occupation of an administration building at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Encampments at Yale and the University of Pittsburgh also appeared to have been vacated.