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[00:00.04]New York City's Columbia University

[00:02.60]announced Monday that it would cancel

[00:05.36]its main end-of-year event,

[00:08.12]or commencement, scheduled for May 15.

[00:12.16]The decision comes after weeks

[00:15.80]of pro-Palestinian protests

[00:19.08]that have disrupted the second half of the school year.

[00:22.36]Some Jewish students

[00:24.52]have said they felt unsafe at the school.

[00:27.16]Officials moved classes online

[00:30.16]and city police arrested numerous students

[00:33.08]after they entered a school building,

[00:35.08]Hamilton Hall, without permission.

[00:37.80]Not all events celebrating the end

[00:41.92]of student study programs will be canceled.

[00:45.44]Individual schools will still go ahead

[00:48.32]with their smaller graduation events.

[00:51.36]The events will not take place

[00:53.68]on the school's main campus area

[00:56.32]where the protesters had set up a camp.

[00:59.08]Instead, they will mostly take place

[01:03.40]at the university's sports area,

[01:06.16]about eight kilometers away.

[01:09.12]In its announcement, Columbia stated

[01:12.20]recent weeks have been "incredibly difficult."

[01:15.40]The school said it talked with students

[01:18.36]before making the decision.

[01:21.16]Officials said the smaller,

[01:23.96]school-centered ceremonies

[01:26.36]were the most important

[01:27.68]for students and their families.

[01:30.60]"They are eager to cross the stage to applause

[01:34.40]and family pride and hear from their school's

[01:37.76]invited guest speakers," the university said.

[01:42.16]The protest camp at the university

[01:45.32]involved about 200 demonstrators.

[01:49.04]They were calling for an end to the war

[01:51.52]between Israel and Hamas

[01:53.60]that is taking place in the Gaza Strip.

[01:57.12]The protesters demanded that Columbia

[01:59.60]sell its investments in Israeli businesses

[02:03.24]and American businesses

[02:05.16]that assist Israel's war effort.

[02:08.04]Media reports say the Columbia protests

[02:12.68]prompted other demonstrations

[02:14.64]at American universities.

[02:16.68]These include the University

[02:18.40]of Southern California (USC);

[02:20.92]the University of California, Los Angeles;

[02:24.08]and the University of Michigan.

[02:27.12]USC also cancelled its main graduation event

[02:30.92]after students protested.

[02:34.00]Students left their protest camp

[02:37.00]at USC on Sunday after police moved in

[02:41.36]and threatened them with arrest.

[02:44.48]Some university graduation events

[02:47.44]have already taken place.

[02:50.20]At the University of Michigan's event on Saturday,

[02:53.32]chanting students

[02:55.12]slowed down the event more than once.

[02:57.96]In Boston, some students waved Palestinian

[03:02.60]and others waved Israeli flags

[03:04.64]at Northeastern University's ceremony.

[03:08.04]I'm Dan Friedell.

__________________________

Words in This Story

disrupt –v. to interfere with normal activities

graduation –n. the successful completion of a course of study at a school or college

eager –adj. very willing

applause –n. clapping hands as a sign of praise and approval

pride –n. being please with something you have done

prompt –v. to cause someone to do something through a sign or a suggestion

chant –v. to say something repeatedly at the same time with other people