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Columbia University President Minouche Shafik released a statement this morning which said negotiations with student protesters, which have been ongoing since last week, have failed to reach an agreement.

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I know that many of our Jewish students, and other students as well, have found the atmosphere intolerable in recent weeks. Many have left campus, and that is a tragedy.  To those students and their families, I want to say to you clearly: You are a valued part of the Columbia community. This is your campus too. We are committed to making Columbia safe for everyone, and to ensuring that you feel welcome and valued.

We’ve worked hard to balance these principles. To that end, since Wednesday, a small group of academic leaders has been in constructive dialogue with student organizers to find a path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment and adherence to University policies going forward. Regretfully, we were not able to come to an agreement.

President Shafik then spells out a series of things the University offered (short of divestment) as an inducement to the protesters. I won’t go over the list but she’s clearly trying to create a record which shows she tried to make reasonable accommodations before whatever step comes next. On that point, she doesn’t really say what comes next, only that she intends to go forward with graduation which will require the tent camp come down.

Consistent with our interim demonstration policies, after reading days, exams, and Commencement, protests may continue on campus by application with two-days’ notice in authorized locations. We have no intention of suppressing speech or the right to peaceful protest.

We also do not want to deprive thousands of students and their families and friends of a graduation celebration. Please recall that many in this graduating class did not get a celebration when graduating from high school because of the pandemic, and many of them are the first in their families to earn a University degree. We owe it to all of our graduates and their loved ones to honor their achievement. We want to reassure our community who are trying to make plans that we will indeed hold a Commencement.

For all of the reasons above, we urge those in the encampment to voluntarily disperse. 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.

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It’s not clear who the “broader group” is that she’s referring to but that’s probably a reference to a group of elected Democrats who sent President Shafik a letter urging her to crack down on the protests. Here’s part of what the letter said:

For the past week, this encampment has been the breeding ground for antisemitic attacks on Jewish students, including hate speech, harassment, intimidation, and even threats of violence. Last weekend, a student held up a sign pointing to pro-Israel students that said “Al-Qa[ss]am’s next targets,” referring to the military arm of Hamas, the foreign terrorist organization responsible for the atrocities of October 7, and for holding hostage innocent civilians – including Americans – in brutal captivity for nearly seven months.1 One of the protest leaders has previously declared, “Zionists — they are Nazis. They’re Nazis. They’re fascists. They’re supporters of genocide. Why would we want people who are supporters of genocide to live?” and students routinely chanted “from the river to the sea,” which is a cry to eliminate Israel and all Jews within its borders…

We appreciate the Columbia administration’s efforts this week to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that allows those in the encampment to voluntarily disburse without police intervention. But, after nearly a week of negotiations, it is now abundantly clear that the students and activists entrenched on campus are unwilling to enter into a reasonable agreement to disband, which is necessary to bring the University into compliance with Title VI.

Those who violate the law cannot dictate the terms of the University’s ability to comply with that law. It is past time for the University to act decisively, disband the encampment, and ensure the safety and security of all of its students.

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So elected Democrats have given their blessing to what comes next. It will be interesting to see how many think pieces get published in the next few days blaming all of this on conservatives in Congress.

As for the “alternative internal options” for ending the crisis, NBC News reports the school has already set a 2 pm deadline to clear the tent camp. Students who refuse to comply will be banned from campus and will not finish the semester. 

On Monday, notices viewed by NBC News were issued to participants of the protest asking them to vacate by 2 p.m.

The notice asked protesters to identify themselves to a university official and sign a form agreeing to an alternative resolution for the university policy violations the encampment posed.

Those who sign are eligible to complete the semester in good standing and will not be placed on suspension, if they adhere to obeying university policies. 

Those who don’t vacate by 2 p.m., “will be suspended pending further investigation” and barred from completing the spring 2024 semester.

“We regret that we need to take these actions, but we must restore order to the campus that all students can complete their work for the term, study for exams, and feel welcome in the community,” the notice said.

Presumably that means protesters who hold out will miss exams and seniors will not graduate. So you can keep protesting in violation of time, place and manner restrictions or you can attend Columbia, but as of today you can’t do both.

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There’s no word on exactly what will happen to those who refuse to sign the agreement beyond being banned from campus, but I’m guessing after they get banned they become subject to arrest by campus police and will be removed whether they like it or not.

Hopefully we’ll see the tent camp come down for good this afternoon. Better yet, other schools around the country should emulate this process and put an end to their own encampments.

Update: Here’s the immediate reaction from the student protesters.

Could be an interesting afternoon.