Columbia University is rejecting a key demand of pro-Palestinians camped up at the New York City campus over the past couple of weeks. According to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, administrators are refusing to divest from Israel.
Shafik said in a statement on the university’s website that agreement talks between administrators and protest organizers had ended as both parties could not come to an agreement.
Columbia University president says negotiations with protesters have stalled, school will not divest from Israel https://t.co/kEkdInnktJ
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) April 29, 2024
“Regretfully, we were not able to come to an agreement,” Shafik said, adding that administrators sought a “collaborative resolution” and a “path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment and adherence to University policies going forward.”
“While the University will not divest from Israel, the University offered to develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the body that considers divestment matters,” Shafik stated.
While the university refused to divest from companies with ties to Israel, Shafik said it offered to “develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the body that considers divestment matters.”
“The University also offered to publish a process for students to access a list of Columbia’s direct investment holdings, and to increase the frequency of updates to that list of holdings. Additionally, the University offered to convene a faculty committee to address academic freedom and to begin a discussion on access and financial barriers to academic programs and global centers. The University also offered to make investments in health and education in Gaza, including supporting early childhood development and support for displaced scholars. There are important ideas that emerged from this dialogue, and we plan to explore pursuing them in the future,” Shafik added.
Shafik concluded by revealing that the university still plans to hold a commencement which was scheduled for May 15.
Saying that the school owes it to all its “graduates and their loved ones to honor their achievement” as many of them did not get a celebration for their high school graduation as it happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, she asked the encampment to voluntarily disperse so the program can be held.
“We are consulting with a broader group in our community to explore alternative internal options to end this crisis as soon as possible. We will continue to update the community with new developments,” she stated.
