NEW YORK — Columbia University, on edge amid growing concern about safety and antisemitic rhetoric on a campus rocked by protests and encampments, made all classes remote Monday, the first night of Passover.

University President Minouche Shafik announced overnight that the goal is to “deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.”

“Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy,” the president said in a statement. “Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus.”

Columbia had previously said remote learning would be an option for students who requested accommodations, before changing course and going all-remote for Monday.

“Let’s sit down and talk and argue and find ways to compromise on solutions,” Shafik said, announcing a new working group of deans, administrators and faculty to “try to bring this crisis to a resolution,” and meet with student protesters.

“I know that there is much debate about whether or not we should use the police on campus, and I am happy to engage in those discussions,” said Shafik, who added that better adherence to university policies would make a NYPD presence unnecessary.

The announcement comes four days after the NYPD, at the university’s request, cleared the encampments on the south lawn and took more than 100 students into custody. All but a handful were issued summonses for trespassing.

The encampment returned on Sunday, just yards away from the site of the original tents, after protesters for three nights had been sleeping on the grass without any sort of shelter.

Hochul: Many students not feeling safe

Gov. Hochul on Monday met with city and university officials and Columbia students to discuss balancing public safety with people’s right to peacefully assemble and have freedom of speech.

...continued

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.