Several students of Columbia University who took part in pro-Palestine protest encampments during alumni weekend last year and campus protests inside the Ivy League school's main library before final exams in May faced disciplinary action on Tuesday.
Nearly 80 students were told they would be expelled for one to three years, according to a student activism group. According to a statement from Columbia University, the judicial board's sanctions also include recent graduates' degrees being revoked and probation for certain students.
The majority of the students subject to disciplinary action had taken part in the pro-Palestine demonstration, specifically by occupying the Butler Library, Mint reports.
The new University Judicial Board (UJB), which relocated to the provost's office in March, has issued its first disciplinary proceedings. Previously, the UJB was overseen by the University Senate, a body made up of teachers and students, and it had received criticism from the Trump administration for being too sympathetic towards demonstrators.
A Columbia spokesperson noted that the timing of these steps is due to the new procedure rather than ongoing conversations with the government.
The school announced this month that it will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism, which includes "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination" and protesting the existence of the State of Israel as antisemitic behaviour.
Columbia also committed to appointing coordinators in charge of responding to and reporting civil rights violations. Furthermore, the school intends to collaborate with Jewish organisations to provide mandatory anti-discrimination training sessions.
