Columbia starts suspending students who have not cleared campus by deadline

Columbia University started suspending hundreds of students on Monday, who remained on the campus in defiance of a 2 p.m. order to vacate. 

School officials told pro-Palestine protesters that they needed to vacate an encampment the group had established nearly two weeks ago, by 2 p.m. or face possible suspension. Hundreds of students nationwide are protesting the war in Gaza in 16 states, and are calling for their schools to cut financial ties with Israel, and divest from companies that have helped Israel in the war with Hamas. 

The suspended students will not be allowed to graduate this semester if on track to do so, or complete the semester if they are not graduating, CNN reported. They will also not be allowed in university housing and academic buildings.

Students can appeal the suspension, which is decided by two different school bodies: The Office of University Life, and the university's senate. The senate is comprised of both student representatives and faculty.

"Once disciplinary action is initiated, adjudication is handled by several different units within the university based on the nature of the offense," Columbia's Vice President of Public Affairs Ben Chang said Monday evening. "Decisions made by the Office of University Life can be appealed to the dean of the student's school. Decisions made by the senate can be appealed to a panel of deans and, ultimately, the university's president."

Chang said the university was also asking the protesters to take down the encampment so the university can prepare the area for Columbia's commencement ceremony, which takes place May 15. 

The suspensions come after the students voted to disregard the evacuation order. The student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest said they will remain until they are removed by force, or until the university meets their demands.

“We have informed the University that we are prepared to escalate our direct actions if they do not adopt basic standards of conduct for negotiations," the group added.