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Columbia University President Minouche Shafik turned in her resignation this week after failing to prevent encamped protesters from storming a building. The interim president is Dr. Katrina Armstrong, Dean of Faculties of Health Sciences. The University is a haven for pro-Palestinian activism but it exploded after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack to the point of where both Jewish and Israeli people didn’t feel safe.
The President couldn’t take it
The local newspaper reported,
“University President Minouche Shafik will resign from her post effective Aug. 14, Shafik wrote in a Wednesday email to the Columbia community. The announcement comes only weeks before the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year and marks the end of a tumultuous year in the position. During her time as president, Shafik faced fierce national scrutiny for her administration’s handling of pro-Palestinian student protests, academic freedom, and on-campus antisemitism. She is the third Ivy League president to resign from the position in relation to campus tensions over the war in Gaza following University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill and Harvard University’s Claudine Gay.”
Colleges across the nation maybe between a rock and a hard place. They’re supposed to allow freedom of expression. The conflict comes in when you have to tell protesters they can’t take over a college building.
The report continued, “Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead,” Shafik wrote. “I am making this announcement now so that new leadership can be in place before the new term begins.”
The President had to call authorities
One Israeli faculty member, Shai Davidai, called for help on social media. The college couldn’t protect a two year old.
Participants came from across the nation. There were chants and even praises in support of Hamas.
The university didn’t react quickly. Some pro-Palestinian organizations were suspended but their members still participated in protests.
The President didn’t understand
You don’t negotiate with terrorists and that’s what the protesters wound up being. They were emboldened and temporarily seized Hamilton Hall.
Some custodians were trapped, the building was vandalized and property destroyed. Police were called in to disperse the protesters but the Attorney General Alvin Bragg dropped most of the charges against the activists.
Shafik was seen as not being able to manage her campus. She joins the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania who also had to resign. New York Democrat Richie Torres said, “Once there’s a crisis of confidence in the leader of the university, then chaos ensues.” Indeed, many prominent donors pulled their funds and three deans were also forced out.
