Columbia University, one of the prestigious Ivy League institutions in the United States, has decided to cancel its main graduation ceremony that is scheduled for May 15 due to ongoing protests related to the conflict in Gaza.
"We have decided to make the centerpiece of our commencement activities our Class Days and school-level ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, rather than the University-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15," the university said in a statement.
The demonstrations at Columbia University, which garnered global attention, have sparked similar protests at other universities across the United States. Students across these campuses are advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and urging their institutions to divest from companies with connections to Israel.
Last week, New York City police intervened to clear a Columbia campus building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, resulting in the arrest of over 100 individuals and the dismantling of an encampment.
In response to the ongoing protests and disruptions, the university announced on Monday that it had collaborated with student leaders to determine how to proceed with graduation ceremonies. The majority of these ceremonies, originally slated for the Morningside Heights campus where most protests had occurred, will now be relocated to the university's main athletic complex, according to the statement.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/us-campus-protests-columbia-university-cancels-main-graduation-ceremony/articleshow/109889283.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
