Parents at Columbia University are warning of the “nightmarish” conditions their children are facing as anti-Israel protests continue on campus.
Amy Gallatin told “Fox & Friends First” that the unrest has given her sleepless nights. Her daughter attends Barnard, a Columbia University affiliate, and she lives near the site of the ongoing protests.
“Fortunately, I live very close to campus, but I’m concerned about you,” Gallatin told co-host Todd Pirro on Wednesday. “Every parent worries about their child going to school and their child. This is my first child. And you just want them to have the experience. But now… When you have to reconcile what’s happening in the classroom with what’s happening in the school, it’s very concerning for the campus and it’s very worrying for all the parents.”
Anti-Israel protests on campus have continued and expanded in recent days, with Tuesday night’s demonstration, which included faculty and staff, lasting several hours beyond a school-imposed midnight deadline.
Pro-Palestinian supporters gather in front of Columbia University in New York City on April 23, 2024. In response to recent unrest on campus and concerns about the safety of Jewish students, Columbia University President Minoush Shafik announced a transition to online learning starting Monday. He also urged faculty and staff to prioritize remote work. (Gina Moon/Getty Images)
Colombia sets deadline for agreement with protesters, threatens ‘alternatives’ to remove demonstrators
At approximately 3 a.m. ET Wednesday morning, a Columbia University spokesperson released the following statement: “We are making significant progress with representatives of the student camp on the West Lawn. Student protesters participating. The university is working to dismantle and remove a significant number of tents. Due to this constructive dialogue, the university will continue to engage in dialogue over the next 48 hours.
In response to violent protests and disruption on campus, the university announced it would move classes to a virtual or hybrid learning format through the end of the semester. The decision subsequently raised questions about tuition refunds as students were not attending classes. time.
The cost of attending Columbia University as an undergraduate in the 2023-2024 academic year is estimated to be close to $90,000.
The estimated cost of tuition, books, housing, and food for undergraduate students at Columbia University is approximately $90,000.
But Rabbi Marianne Novak, the mother of a third-year student at Columbia University, said she is not seeking a tuition refund and has no intention of withdrawing her child from the school.
“Jewish students just want to go to school. They want to finish their schooling. They want to experience college life,” she told Fox & Friends.
But for his son, who has never experienced any kind of harassment or attack firsthand, the protests have become a “pain in the neck.”
“The university is restricting campus access to ID holders only, so you have to spend an extra 40 minutes getting on campus to go to class. So that’s frustrating. ,” Novak explained. “It makes the whole campus atmosphere very difficult.”
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Novak also took issue with the university’s response to anti-Israel demonstrations, saying that Jewish students have been carrying out anti-protest activities, which have placed a “huge burden” on students.
“Initially, it looked like they were trying to corner the protesters and get them so they wouldn’t cause as much chaos as they did now. And they actually set up an anti-Semitism committee, a task force. But whatever it is, they seem to have set up an anti-Semitism committee.”The policies they had, if they were implemented at all, were not implemented very well and no penalties were meted out. ,” Novak said.
Gallatin said her daughter is a “proud Jew” and warned that the climate on Columbia’s campus was becoming “threatening.”
“Jews are more afraid than threatened. All Jews,” she declared.
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“You have to be very careful about where you walk, where you go, and just being able to choose which cafeteria you want to go to, or being able to go to the gym, or just being able to go to the gym. As for the library…Since October 7th, the climate has been quite harmful.”
Gallatin said she left the decision of whether to transfer to another school up to her daughter, who said she loved attending Barnard and worked hard to get there.
Although Gallatin’s daughter doesn’t plan on seeking alternative schooling, she understands why other parents feel the need to “get out of school.”
“It’s an absolute nightmare,” Gallatin said. “Nobody expected this. This isn’t a global pandemic. This is a global conflict. And I don’t want my child or any other child to simply take classes and have a college experience. It shouldn’t affect your ability to accumulate.”
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