Columbia University announced on Tuesday that more than 70 Columbia students were disciplined for participating in pro-Palestinian protests in May, with more than two-thirds of them suspended or expelled. Columbia is currently negotiating with the Trump administration over frozen research funding.
The school said the disciplinary decision was made during negotiations with the federal government to reach an agreement on the release of research funds. The total amount of Columbia’s frozen research funding is about $1 billion, higher than the $400 million frozen by the federal government in February this year.
The students involved in the pro-Palestinian protests in Butler Library at Columbia University in May were punished with probation, suspension, expulsion and revocation of their degrees. More than two-thirds of the students who were punished were reportedly suspended or expelled. Previously, these students were temporarily suspended pending further investigation.
On the same day, Columbia University also announced that it had sent disciplinary notices to students who participated in the 2024 Alumni Week camping protest on campus. In a statement, Columbia said that in order to “create a thriving academic community,” a culture of mutual respect must be established and that violations of school rules will be subject to consequences.
Meanwhile, a student organization called Columbia for Palestine issued a statement saying that students “remain committed to ending the Israeli genocide supported by the United States and Columbia” and accused Columbia of “actively colluding” with the Trump administration.
Last week, Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman issued a progress update saying that the school is “working hard to reach an agreement with the federal government” that includes a series of additional commitments aimed at “combating anti-Semitism.” Its measures include adopting a controversial definition of anti-Semitism, which critics say equates criticism of Israel with discrimination against Jews.
