Barnard College student expelled for role in Columbia Hamilton Hall takeover over Gaza

Yahoo

03-03-2025

NEW YORK — Ten months after pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia University, a student at its sister school, Barnard College, has been expelled, the campus protest group Columbia University Apartheid Divest announced Monday. Another student was suspended.
Barnard administrators reportedly told the individual they were removed from the rosters late last week. That followed the expulsions of two other Barnard students for the recent disruption of an Israeli history class, prompting dozens of demonstrators to briefly occupy a separate building last week.
Barnard would not confirm any disciplinary actions, citing federal law. A college spokeswoman directed the Daily News to last week's statement after two students were expelled for the class disruption, where protesters handed out flyers of a boot stomping on the Star of David, a Jewish symbol.
'When rules are broken, when there is no remorse, no reflection, and no willingness to change, we must act. Expulsion is always an extraordinary measure, but so too is our commitment to respect, inclusion, and the integrity of the academic experience,' read the statement from Barnard President Laura Rosenbury.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest ascribed the crackdown to outside pressure.
Last Thursday, President Donald Trump's Justice Department announced a task force would visit ten college campuses — including Columbia and New York University — to investigate allegations of antisemitism. A day later, the student learned of their expulsion.
'Rather than engage with students or divest [from Israel], Barnard has rushed to satisfy the U.S. Department of Justice by sanctioning and expelling students,' the group wrote in a press release.
The other student inside Hamilton Hall was suspended for nearly two years, Columbia University Apartheid Divest said.
Friday's expulsion appears to be the first for the occupation of Hamilton Hall, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which has been tracking disciplinary action for campus protest activity.
While the precise number of Barnard students who participated in the takeover is not publicly known, there were six students from schools affiliated with Columbia, such as Barnard and the Union Theological Seminary.
Neither Columbia nor the student protest group has announced any expulsions on the main university campus.
Columbia became the epicenter for pro-Palestinian protests last spring when an encampment in support of Gaza launched copycat tent cities on American college campuses.
The demonstration came to a head in late April as protesters took Hamilton Hall, damaging property and trapping custodians inside. One officer accidentally discharged a gun, the NYPD said; students documented injuries among nine of the dozens of protesters arrested inside the building.
Most charges were dropped against the demonstrators. On Columbia's campus, the vast majority of students involved were able to enroll in classes this year while waiting for their disciplinary hearings, which were expected to begin in late January.
Barnard, a separate institution from Columbia, has its own disciplinary procedures. Last month, Columbia University Apartheid Divest said 46 Barnard students had been suspended for pro-Palestinian activism over the last couple of school years.
It was not clear on Monday how the protesters planned to respond. Last week, after the two students were expelled, dozens of demonstrators took over Milbank Hall — where the dean's office was located — for several hours, cancelling classes in the building and hospitalizing a security guard.
Bipartisan elected officials, from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to Mayor Eric Adams, have condemned the building takeover.
'I know the conflict in the Middle East has left many of us grieving and angry, and while New Yorkers have every right to express their sorrow, that heartbreak does not give anyone the right to harass or threaten others, to physically harm anyone, or to trespass on private property,' Adams said in a statement late Thursday.
'We must always ensure the safety of all students and staff on our college campuses.'