Columbia University had on Monday, May 6, canceled its foremost, university-wide opening ceremony scheduled for May 15 in support of smaller, school-based events. This was a decision that came after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests rocked the Ivy League college.
The student protests at Columbia, which drew national and global attention, ignited similar demonstrations at dozens of universities around the U.S., with students calling for a truce in Gaza and demanding for their schools to keep their distance from companies allied with Israel.
Some of the universities had called in riot police armed with batons and flash-bang grenades to scatter and arrest hundreds of protesters, with the claim that it was for the safety of the campus.
This action has been severely criticised by civil rights groups who tagged such tactics as unnecessarily violent infringements on free speech.
Over 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Gaza conflict, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory.
The war had begun when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 252 others, out of whom 133 are believed to still be in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
The student protests have led to several colleges and universities across the U.S. to relocate, modify, or cancel opening ceremonies altogether.
The Columbia school management said on Monday that it had consulted with student leaders to decide how to handle the graduation ceremony.
Most of the ceremonies, which had been scheduled to take place on its upper Manhattan campus, where most of the protests have taken place, will now be held at the main athletic complex five miles away.
What They’re Saying:
The Columbia school management had said in a statement:
“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.”“It has been incredibly difficult for our community.”
What Could Have Been Done Differently:
Some of the measures Columbia University could have taken to address the situation include;
- Dialogue and Engagement: The school management could have tried engaging in constructive dialogue with student protesters to understand their concerns and grievances, and find ways to come to a mutually agreeable solutions.
- Conflict Resolution: Applying conflict resolution mechanisms to address the underlying issues and disservices of the student protesters would have really helped de-escalate tensions and prevent the need for such drastic measures as canceling the opening ceremony.
- Safety Measures: While ensuring campus safety is important, calling riot police armed with batons and flash-bang grenades should not have been an option as it escalated the situation and worsened tensions.
Bottom Line:
The school could have handled things better by talking more with the students and finding a compromise. Overall, it highlights the importance of listening to students and handling conflicts peacefully.
