Columbia University expelled several students involved in the takeover of a campus building during pro-Palestinian protests last spring.
The university also revealed that some graduates who participated in the demonstration had their diplomas temporarily revoked.
In a campus-wide email sent Thursday, Columbia stated that its judicial board issued sanctions against dozens of students based on an evaluation of their actions. The university, however, did not specify how many students were expelled, suspended, or had their degrees revoked.
This decision follows months of internal investigations and disciplinary hearings, concluding a lengthy process that has intensified tensions on campus.
The announcement comes amid growing unrest within the university’s activist community, particularly following the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a well-known campus protester. Khalil was taken into custody by federal immigration authorities this past Saturday. President Donald Trump described his arrest as “the first of many” in a broader crackdown on campus activism.
At the same time, the Trump administration has stripped Columbia University of more than $400 million in federal funding, citing what it calls the school’s failure to address widespread antisemitism on campus.
The administration has accused university leaders of turning a blind eye to incidents of hate speech and harassment linked to the protests.
The takeover of Hamilton Hall on April 30, 2024, marked a significant escalation in student demonstrations against the war in Gaza. What began as a tent encampment on Columbia’s campus grew into a more aggressive protest when a smaller group of students occupied the administrative building.
The protesters barricaded themselves inside the hall using furniture and padlocks, refusing to leave despite warnings from university officials.
In response, Columbia’s leadership requested intervention from the New York Police Department. The following night, hundreds of officers equipped with zip ties and riot shields stormed the campus. Police entered the building through a window and arrested dozens of students who had taken part in the occupation.
At a court hearing in June, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced it would not pursue criminal charges against 31 of the 46 individuals initially arrested for trespassing inside Hamilton Hall.
Prosecutors cited insufficient evidence connecting them to specific acts of property damage and the fact that none of the students had prior criminal records.
More than a dozen of those arrested were offered plea deals that would have eventually led to the dismissal of their charges.