Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, Columbia University has found itself at the center of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Columbia is no stranger to anti-war protests. In the spring of 1968, a student uprising against the Vietnam War saw students occupy five buildings on campus and hold the acting dean of Columbia College hostage. Most recently, the arrest of Columbia protest leader Mahmoud Khalil and the university’s response to policy demands from the Trump administration have found the college making national headlines again.

Shea Vance is the editor-in-chief of the university’s student newspaper, the “Columbia Spectator.” Vance joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss the most recent events on campus. The conversation covered the disciplinary actions against students protesting the Israel-Hamas war, as well as the ongoing atmosphere of fear among some Jewish students due to antisemitic incidents, and the impact of federal threats on withholding university funding. The discussion also included reflections on the past and future of Columbia’s student activism and Vance’s personal aspirations.

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