Columbia University announced early Monday that it would hold classes remotely after a wave of protests on campus over the weekend that drew widespread attention from city and national officials and raised safety concerns for some Jewish students.
The university’s president, Minouche Shafik, said in a letter to the Columbia community, “We need a reset,” adding that she felt sadness about how the university’s bonds had been severely tested in recent weeks. She urged students who do not live on campus not to travel there.The campus has been embroiled in protests since last week.
On Wednesday, as Dr. Shafik testified at a congressional hearing examining antisemitism at the university, pro-Palestinian students erected dozens of tents on a central campus lawn, vowing to stay put until Columbia met demands including divesting from companies with ties to Israel.
On Thursday, after the students refused to stand down, the New York police arrested more than 100 of them.In the coming days, a working group of deans, university administrators and faculty members will work to bring the crisis to a resolution, Dr. Shafik said.
