Dozens of Columbia University students are occupying Hamilton Hall, one of the campus buildings occupied during 1968 student protests, according to a social media post early Tuesday from Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine.
Overnight, protesters on campus made their way from the West Lawn encampment to Hamilton Hall, one of the main academic buildings for undergraduates.
Hours earlier, the university announced it had begun suspending students who refused to leave the encampment before a 2 p.m. Monday deadline set by the administration.
At least six protesters were arrested at Tulane University on Monday after tents were set up on the campus in New Orleans that day, a university public safety official said.
“Today, participants in a protest that was unregistered and unsanctioned by Tulane University stormed university property and erected tents on the edge of the lawn in front of Gibson Hall near the sidewalk,” said Kirk Bouyelas, Tulane’s associate vice president for public safety.
After university police warned protesters not to enter school property, they began arresting people and clearing tents, Bouyelas said. He called it an “ongoing situation.”
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of offenses including trespassing, battery on an officer and resisting arrest, according to Bouyelas.
“We are working with local law enforcement and government officials to resolve the situation. The safety and well-being of the members of the Tulane community is our top priority,” he said.
Both students and non-students were arrested and the university is dismantling the encampment, according to Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. She noted a “significant number” of non-students were in the crowd. A Virginia State Police spokesperson said the department responded to the protest to assist campus police.
University of Southern California President Carol Folt said she met with student organizers of campus protests Monday, but conceded that no agreement has been reached.
“The students said at the end they wouldn’t have considered this meeting a win from their perspective, and I can fully appreciate that,” Folt said in a statement. “For me, the most important point was that we were starting to talk, and I think that was vital. I felt like they were being honest and telling me how they felt, which was very meaningful.”
The meeting, which also included a faculty member, lasted about 90 minutes, the president said. Folt said she plans to meet with the group again tomorrow.
“I think we need to continue to have those conversations, and I’m pleased we all agree on that. We’ll go day by day,” she said.
Nine people were arrested Monday evening at the University of Florida campus protests in Gainesville, Florida, according to Cynthia Roldán Hernández, UF director of public affairs.
“They knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences,” Steve Orlando, UF spokesperson, said in a statement.
“For many days, we have patiently told protesters — many of whom are outside agitators — that they were able to exercise their right to free speech and free assembly,” he said. “And we also told them that clearly prohibited activities would result in a trespassing order from UPD (barring them from all university properties for three years) and an interim suspension from the university.”
“For days UPD patiently and consistently reiterated the rules,” Orlando said. “Today, individuals who refused to comply were arrested after UPD gave multiple warnings and multiple opportunities to comply.”
