Some call for education refunds as needs for Columbia president to retire develop and billionaire donor pulls money
Columbia University has announced it is switching generally to distant learning for the rest of the flower quarter as loud and aggressive anti-Israel demonstrations continue to stone the Manhattan school.
The shift prompted some on social media to indicate kids may require payments from the almost$ 70,000-per-year Ivy League organization.
“Columbia University faces calling for education payments as school goes to cross lessons for rest of term in wake of anti-Israel protests, ” blared a New York Post article on Tuesday.
“FOR THE REST OF THE Month? ! That’s 3+ days, for a university with thousands of students. Actually only arrest the demonstrators or tell teenagers to buy mace, ” argued professor Wilfred Reilly on X.
“ Why should n’t students get a partial refund for their tuition, @columbia? This was n’t an unplanned event. Columbia is just too cowardly to defend its students, ” posted Dr. Pradheep Shanker on X.
Columbia President Minouche Shafik even faces calling to withdraw — including from all of the New York House Republicans, as well as from two U. S. legislators, Politico reported.
“ I fully agree with the White House—these ‘protests ’ are antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous. Put some tiki torches and it ’s Charlottesville for these Jewish students. To @Columbia President Minouche Shafik: perform your work or retire so Columbia you find someone who will, ” posted Democrat Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. He made the comments on X.
It was also announced Tuesday that businessman Robert Kraft has pulled his financial aid of Colombia.
“ I am no longer convinced that Columbia can defend its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the school until corrective action is taken, ” Kraft said in a speech, as reported by the Sports Business Journal.
The latest innovations come as Columbia’s Jewish pupils were advised to escape the school for their own health, as The College Fix reported. That tips came after about 100 demonstrators taking part in a pro-Palestinian job camp on a Columbia grass were arrested by police in riot gear Thursday.
But demonstrations and encampments were back up Monday, social media posts show. A Jewish professor was denied entrance onto campus where the protest encampment was located, video showed. Classes Monday were already canceled at Columbia to protect Jewish students as tensions flared, but as of Tuesday protests were still underway.
Columbia faculty were told to offer hybrid classes.
“All faculty whose classrooms are located on the main Morningside campus and equipped with hybrid capabilities should enable them to provide virtual learning options to students who need such a learning modality, ” states the April 22 memo.
“Faculty in other classrooms or teaching spaces that do not have capabilities for offering hybrid options should hold classes remotely if there are student requests for virtual participation. If the class does not permit adapting to the remote offering format, we encourage faculty to provide other accommodations liberally to students who have requested support for virtual learning this week. ”
The news from Columbia came one day after NYPD arrested dozens of students and faculty pro-Palestinian protesters at New York University who had also set up an encampment.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams blamed outside agitators for much of the chaos.
“We strongly believe that is the case right now. That there are people who are here – they latch on to any protest. To see our police officers having bottles thrown at them, chairs, ” Adams said, as CBS reported.
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