Columbia Cancels Main Graduation Ceremony Amid Campus Unrest

Columbia University has canceled its university-wide commencement ceremony due to disruptions caused by recent pro-Palestinian protests. The protest movement began nearly three weeks ago at the Ivy League university in New York City and has since swept college campuses nationwide, with over 2,500 people arrested. The university's large graduation ceremony was scheduled for May 15 on the college's main lawn, where a protest encampment was based until authorities dismantled it last week. Students will still be able to celebrate at a series of smaller, school-based graduation ceremonies this week and next.

The protest movement connected to the Israel-Hamas war began nearly three weeks ago at Columbia University in New York City. It has since swept college campuses nationwide, with more than 2,500 people arrested. The university's large graduation ceremony was scheduled for May 15 on the college's main lawn, which is where a protest encampment was based until authorities dismantled it last week. The arrests, which New York Mayor Eric Adams says were requested by Columbia officials, garner national attention and inflame college protests nationwide. In the coming days, pro-Palestinian encampments will be set up at the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of North Carolina.