House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called for Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to be removed from her position after her Ivy League school announced the cancellation of its main commencement ceremony after pro-Palestinian protests disrupted the New York City campus.
“Because it is abundantly clear that President Shafik would rather cede control to Hamas supporters than restore order, Columbia’s Board of Trustees should immediately remove her and appoint a new president who will,” Johnson said in a statement. “Our once great universities desperately need strong moral leadership, now more than ever.”
Johnson led a House delegation to Columbia University last month and called on Shafik to resign if she could not “immediately bring order to this chaos.” He also pledged that the Congress would “not be silent” as reports of anti-Semitic harassment led to concerns about the safety of Jewish students.
The Columbia University Board of Trustees released a statement shortly after the visit, saying that it “strongly supports President Shafik as she steers the university through this extraordinarily challenging time,” according to NBC News.
“During the search process for this role, President Shafik told us that she would always take a thoughtful approach to resolving conflict, balancing the disparate voices that make up a vibrant campus like Columbia’s, while taking a firm stance against hatred, harassment and discrimination. That’s exactly what she’s doing now,” the board said.
“We are urgently working with her to help resolve the situation on campus and rebuild the bonds of our community; we encourage everyone who cares about Columbia to join us in that effort,” the board added.
Since that time, Shafik said talks with student organizers had broken down, and Columbia would not divest from Israel as the protesters had demanded. At Shafik’s request, the New York Police Department sent officers to clear Hamilton Hall, which protesters had seized, and a lawn encampment. She also asked the police to stay on campus for a couple of weeks. The university also noted students participating in the protests faced suspensions.
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Columbia announced on Monday that instead of holding a main graduation event on May 15, feedback from deans and colleagues working with student leaders led to the decision to make school-level ceremonies the “centerpiece” of commencement events away from the lawn where protesters had set up camp.
Johnson argued that “Shafik and Columbia University administrators have displayed a shocking unwillingness to control their campus.”
He added, “They’ve allowed outside agitators and terrorist-sympathizing students and faculty to rewrite campus rules and spew vile, anti-Jewish aggression. Now, thousands of students who’ve worked hard to achieve their degrees will not get the recognition they deserve.”