The president of Barnard College has offered to lift suspensions of students who participated in an unauthorized encampment at Columbia University last week following strong criticism from Rep. Ilhan Omar's daughter and faculty.
In the statement released Monday night, Barnard president Laura Rosenbury addressed the “challenging times” on campus and said those students who do not have previous disciplinary action against them may have their suspensions lifted and records cleared.
“The vast majority of the students on interim suspension have not previously engaged in misconduct under Barnard’s rules,” she said. “[T]he College sent written notices to these students offering to lift the interim suspensions, and immediately restore their access to College buildings, if they agree to follow all Barnard rules during a probationary period. If these students choose this path, neither the interim suspension nor the probationary period will appear on the students’ academic transcripts and these sanctions will not become part of students’ reportable disciplinary records barring a finding of responsibility under the Student Code of Conduct for future misconduct. The remaining students on interim suspension have previously received notices regarding misconduct, and the College is committed to addressing these situations quickly yet thoughtfully through our conduct process.”
Barnard had suspended dozens of students last week for participating in the Columbia demonstrations, protesting the U.S.’s position in the Israel/Hamas war as well as to pressure the university to divest finances from corporations that conduct business in Israel.
Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), was among those suspended after she was arrested for participating in the Columbia encampment. As Guy reported, she then complained about the consequences of her actions to various liberal media outlets.
Barnard and Columbia faculty members also pushed back on Rosenbury’s decision, condemning “in the strongest possible terms the Administration’s suspension of students engaged in peaceful protest and their arrest by the New York City Police Department.” They called on the suspensions and charges to be immediately dismissed and marched to her office in protest.
NEW: Faculty in revolt!
— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) April 22, 2024
Barnard faculty marched to President Rosenbury’s office calling for no suspensions for student protestors: pic.twitter.com/G2vAYVhscx
Rosenbury said she believes in "exposure to uncomfortable ideas" but argued it crosses a line when students fear for their safety.
"We must always respect and protect one another, especially when we disagree," she added.
The statement comes as Columbia announced the University would switch to hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester over the pro-terrorist demonstrations that have rocked campus.
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