Columbia University’s president said Monday that talks with student organizers had failed to reach an agreement, and that the university will not divest from Israel — a demand that has sparked protests on college campuses across the country.
Minouche Shafik asked for those in encampment protests on campus to voluntarily disperse, saying the demonstration had created “an unwelcoming environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty,” that “external actors” have contributed to a “hostile environment” around university gates, and it had become a “noisy distraction” for students.
Shafik also cited the May 15 commencement, saying, “We also do not want to deprive thousands of students and their families and friends of a graduation celebration.”
Columbia was the first elite institution struck by protests in support of the Palestinian cause, with students demanding that the school divest from investments in weapons manufacturing and that support Israel amid the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 34,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip.
Protests spread quickly last week on campuses from coast to coast, resulting in mass arrests and crackdowns.
“While the University will not divest from Israel,” it offered to create an expedited timeline for a review of new proposals from students by the school’s Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, which explores divestment, Shafik said.
