Columbia university has stated that it will provide online courses for the remainder of the year, amid a growing number of students nationwide who are protesting President Joe Biden's handling of the Gaza conflict. Reportedly, parents of a number of pupils were also asking for a reimbursement of the tuition. "Students across an array of communities have conveyed fears for their safety, and we have announced additional actions we are taking to address security concerns," the president of Columbia university stated in an official statement.
"A horrible struggle with dire ramifications for humankind is currently occurring in the Middle East. I am announcing that all courses will be held remotely on monday in an effort to defuse the tension and allow everyone time to think about what to do next."
"In accordance with university policy, necessary workers should report to work; faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so. The statement said, "Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not visit campus."
The university also addressed concerns about instances of "intimidating and harassing behaviour" on campus, saying that it will work to resolve this situation in the next few days.
WHY ARE US students PROTESTING?
Students have united with the Palestinian people and are holding Biden accountable for the killings of innocent civilians, especially women and children, in Gaza at the hands of Israeli soldiers. This solidarity has spread from Stanford university in california to Columbia university on the east Coast.
On suspicion of demonstrating, a number of New York university students were taken into custody. Also detained were more than a hundred Columbia university pro-Palestine students.
Reports stated that pro-Palestinian students and their friends erected around fifteen tents at the university of california, Berkley.
Boston university students staged a walkout in protest of Columbia University's arrests of pro-Palestinian student activists. There were also walkouts by students at Massachusetts Institute of technology and Harvard University.
On the internet, images and videos of the protests that feature sloganeering are being shared extensively.
Images of the hostages taken by the students on campus were displayed in one of the films.