Columbia University expels, suspends about 80 students in pro-Palestine Butler Library occupation

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News on Jul 22, 2025

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NEW YORK — Columbia University has expelled or issued lengthy suspensions to nearly 80 pro-Palestine students for the May occupation of Butler Library just days before final exams, a campus protest group announced Tuesday.

The affected students, who are facing suspensions of between one and three years, learned of the sanctions Monday, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest.

As a condition of their return to campus, the protesters said they were asked to submit apologies — with some stating they will refuse. The Butler takeover was short lived, with the NYPD moving in quickly and making dozens of arrests.

The group said they believed the disciplinary action was related to a reportedly forthcoming deal between Columbia and the Trump administration to restore hundreds of millions of dollars, mainly in federal research funding.

It was not immediately clear how many of the students were expelled or what factors led to some protesters facing harsher discipline than others.

A college official known as the “rules administrator” confirmed in a statement that he “issued findings and sanctions related to the disruption of Butler Library during [the] reading period in May 2025,” but did not offer any specifics.

Columbia spokespeople did not immediately return a request for comment.

The students had been on interim suspension pending further investigation and barred from campus for the last few months.

“We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,” Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a statement.