Columbia Faculty Rights Group Condemns University's Handling Of Library Takeover: 'authoritarian Ethos'

A module authorities group astatine Columbia University condemned nan administration's consequence to an anti-Israel protest astatine nan field room connected Wednesday, which resulted successful dozens of arrests.

A missive from nan executive committee of nan American Association of University Professors (AAUP) astatine Columbia aimed astatine addressing nan "erosion of shared governance" denounced a determination made by acting president Claire Shipman to telephone nan NYPD for assistance.

The protestation collapsed retired connected Wednesday day erstwhile anti-Israel agitators stormed Butler Library, occupying a reference room wrong and breaching 1 of nan building's exterior doors. Two field constabulary officers were besides injured during nan protest.

The NYPD said 80 arrests were made, and Fox News learned astir 50 of those group were confirmed to beryllium Columbia students.

DOZENS OF ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS ARRESTED AFTER STORMING, TAKING OVER COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DURING FINALS 

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) astatine Columbia criticized nan university's determination to interaction nan NYPD to grip nan takeover astatine Butler Library connected Wednesday. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

In its letter, nan AAUP mostly ignored nan specifications of nan protest, which damaged and disrupted a study area for students preparing for finals, and described nan incident arsenic "tragic" while focusing connected nan university's "institutional descent toward executive rule."

The group said successful an effort to "placate" the Trump administration, Columbia's activity has weakened world freedom, shared governance and student protest, "echoing nan authoritarian ethos now holding sway successful Washington."

"As nan Trump management has demanded ever much draconian crackdowns connected student protest, our management has responded by granting enhanced powers to nationalist information that tin arsenic easy escalate arsenic defuse confrontations pinch students and that past nighttime did not forestall nan management from again summoning nan NYPD to campus," nan group wrote, successful part.

COLUMBIA'S ACTING PRESIDENT SLAMS STORMING OF CAMPUS LIBRARY BY ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS: 'UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE' 

Prior to Wednesday's protest, Shipman had said she would beryllium reviewing and reforming nan University Senate, which is simply a governing assemblage astatine Columbia made up of elected representatives from each departments connected campus, amid negotiations pinch nan national authorities complete nan drastic trim successful backing to nan university.

In March, Columbia mislaid much than $400 cardinal successful national grants aft nan Trump management said nan schoolhouse grounded to reside nan emergence successful antisemitism connected campus.

President Donald Trump is pushing backmost connected anti-Israel protests connected assemblage campuses, including Columbia University, by withholding $400 cardinal successful national funding. (Getty Images)

The AAUP called connected her not to travel done pinch nan reappraisal arsenic nan assemblage is experiencing a "moment of crisis," adding that it "strenuously objects to some nan timing and nan plan" for it.

"In imposing this reappraisal astatine this clip and successful this manner, nan President and nan Board of Trustees are taking purpose astatine shared governance and replacing it pinch top-down firm management, indicating a profound misunderstanding of what assemblage activity and fiduciary obligations require," nan group said.

The group shared a database of six recommendations, which telephone for a "unified consequence to nan existent crisis" alternatively of dismantling nan decision-making structures that person been successful spot for decades.

Protest stickers were put connected nan doors astatine Butler Library astatine Columbia University's field connected May 7, 2025 successful New York City. (Indy Scholtens/Getty Images)

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The AAUP has besides been vocal successful its disapproval of Columbia for punishing, suspending and expelling students progressive successful anti-Israel protests connected campus.

One of nan group's recommendations includes radically enhancing "mediation, consultation and de-escalation protocols for contiguous deployment during field disturbances, particularly student protests."