Columbia U announces punishments of students who occupied Hamilton Hall, including expulsion

Columbia University on Thursday told students in a memo that its judicial board decided on punishments for students who illegally occupied Hamilton Hall last year, with some of those students being expelled or suspended from the Ivy League school.

The university did not disclose a breakdown on how many students were expelled or suspended, but said dozens of students were involved, according to the Associated Press. Some students also had their degrees revoked.

The punishments were based on an “evaluation of the severity of behaviors," the school said. 

The verdicts come from a monthslong investigation into the takeover, which occurred in April of 2024. The invasion of Hamilton Hall was part of a larger protest against the war in Israel, but marked a large escalation in the demonstrations. The students and some allies had barricaded themselves into the building for over a day, and were forced out by the New York Police Department.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office in June decided not to press charges for 31 of the protesters involved, but they still had to face disciplinary action by the university. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.