New York City's Columbia University is bracing for the fall 2024 semester by implementing a lockdown to deter "non-affiliates" with ill intentions.
This move comes as a response to the antisemitic protests that took place in the spring, which ended with police forcibly removing anti-Israel protesters from a barricaded building, as announced by authorities over the weekend.
According to Fox News, the police made numerous arrests at the university's Hamilton Hall and at a separate protest at the City College of New York. Almost half of the individuals arrested were not students. Protesters were seen blocking windows and doors with chains and furniture, smashing windows, and concealing their faces with keffiyehs before being apprehended by the police. They also maintained a tent encampment outside the building for several weeks.
Cas Holloway, the university's chief operating officer, stated, "This change is intended to keep our community safe given reports of potential disruptions at Columbia and on college campuses across the country as we approach the beginning of the new school year." He expressed particular concern about non-affiliates who may not have the best interests of the Columbia community at heart.
The new regulations, dubbed the Orange rules, prohibit anyone without a university ID or pre-registered guest from entering the campus and impose restrictions on entrances and exits. These rules took effect on Monday and will remain in place indefinitely.
Access to the campus along 116th Street is now limited to checkpoints at Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, and the Wien Gate near Morningside Drive, on 114th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam, and at the Northwest Corner Building at the intersection of 120th Street and Broadway.
The university's website explains that there are four color-coded rules that determine the level of public access to the campus. Under the Green rules, the outdoor campus is open to all, but a university ID is required to enter buildings. The Yellow rules keep the campus open to the public, but some entrances and exits are closed, and others may have time restrictions. The Red rules completely prohibit guest access, and only students who live on campus or essential staff can enter and exit.
The university announced last week that it was considering security enhancements following weeks of protests against the Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza and Jewish students at the Manhattan Ivy League school.
A university spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "President [Minouche] Shafik and the university leadership team take their responsibility for the safety and well-being of the entire university community seriously." They added that the university has been using the summer to learn from the past academic year's experiences and plan for the next one.
The university's response to the protesters, who established a camp on a lawn and were accused of initiating antisemitic confrontations, has been criticized. Some faculty members even defended the group and prevented other students and press members from entering their encampment.
The university also dismissed three senior staff members last month who were accused of sharing antisemitic text messages. The spokesperson added, "As part of this consultative process, we are looking at various ways to supplement our public safety capabilities. We seek to strengthen the departments skills and training in de-escalation techniques, expanding the departments ability to manage a range of incidents while taking into account the fact Columbia does not have its own police force, as many peer institutions have, and potentially reducing our reliance on the NYPD."
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