‘DISTRESSING’

Columbia University Considers Canceling Commencement, Report Says

The massive ceremony would take place on the grassy lawns where protesters camped for over a week.

Columbia University officials are reportedly questioning whether or not the school will host a commencement ceremony, just feet away from where dozens of protesters were violently arrested on Tuesday night. Two members of the student government told NBC News that at a meeting on Friday, administration officials said the event may have to be canceled due to safety concerns. Another source said the massive ceremony had already been slated to be canceled. It was unclear if a final decision had been made. On Friday, university president Minouche Shafik released a statement which called the damage to Hamilton Hall “distressing,” but made no reference to the dozens of violent arrests, or to a new report that an New York Police officer had fired a gun inside the hall, which the NYPD failed to disclose for days. Columbia is currently under federal investigation for alleged anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab discrimination.