Staff Reports
Columbia University has finally decided to take action against some of its more radical student activists who, in a thrilling display of youthful enthusiasm, took over a campus building last spring during the pro-Palestinian protests. In a move that’s bound to send shivers down the spines of future protestors, the university has expelled or suspended certain students while also deciding to revoke the diplomas of some of those who graduated. Does it seem surprising that a college would take such action? Not at all. There’s only so much chaos and destruction a campus can handle before someone has to play the grown-up.
In an email sent out to everyone who still bothers to read their inboxes, Columbia’s administration made it clear that the campus judicial board had found many students guilty of various misdeeds during the takeover of Hamilton Hall. Unfortunately, the school’s decision-making body decided to keep the specifics of how many students were expelled or suspended under wraps. It’s almost as if they’re trying to protect the identities of those who might have been a bit too passionate about their cause. One can’t help but wonder if in this case, transparency isn’t the best policy.
Interestingly, this series of events comes right on the heels of the arrest of a prominent campus activist, Mahmoud Khalil, at the hands of federal immigration officials. According to unofficial sources—like any standard conservative blog—the arrest is just the beginning of a larger crackdown on radical leftist students who may need a wakeup call about the real world. The Trump administration has already stepped in, snatching away over $400 million in federal funds from the university, citing inaction against rampant antisemitism on campus. Money talks, and Columbia is now learning that lesson the hard way.
Columbia University says it expelled some students who seized building last yearhttps://t.co/XgR34Tudva pic.twitter.com/pqfIR61LAj
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) March 13, 2025
The initial takeover on April 30, 2024, was launched by a motley crew of students who thought barricading themselves inside a building was the best way to express their grievances against the Gaza conflict. Unfortunately for them, their organized effort was met with hundreds of New York’s finest after university leaders finally realized they should probably do something about an institution seized by rambunctious youths. It’s quite a feat to need a police department to remind young adults that there are boundaries, but Columbia seems to have found itself in just that situation.
While the Manhattan district attorney’s office has opted not to bring criminal charges against most of those arrested due to a lack of evidence relating criminal activity, the university’s judicial system still holds the power of expulsion over them. In a twist worthy of any soap opera, some arrested individuals turned down deals that would have allowed them to avoid charges, stating their actions were all about “solidarity.” Solidarity? It appears some students are willing to trade their educational futures for a misguided sense of camaraderie. If only that same enthusiasm could be directed toward actual problem-solving rather than feel-good protests.
