Some Jewish students who applied to Columbia and Barnard wrote emails to the University turning down their spots after following the news of the last academic year, speaking to friends at Columbia, and discussing with their families.

The chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and House Committee on Energy and Commerce wrote a letter on Wednesday to interim University President Katrina Armstrong about “antisemitic harassment and intimidation” at Columbia and its associated medical centers.

Over 225 faculty and staff signed on to a letter addressed to interim University President Katrina Armstrong on Aug. 29 requesting that Columbia clarify its existing policies on student conduct and demonstrations.

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters participated in a “Shut It Down” picket outside the 116th Street and Broadway gates on Tuesday, the first day of classes for the 2024-25 academic year, encouraging students, staff, and faculty to not cross the picket line or attend classes.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to University Interim President Katrina Armstrong on Aug. 29 encouraging Columbia to modify its nondiscrimination policies and expand its definition of antisemitism.

The chairs of two House committees sent letters on Aug. 22 to Columbia and Barnard leadership requesting information on policies developed “to prepare for unauthorized encampments.”

Four individuals vandalized the lobby of Columbia Chief Operating Officer Cas Holloway’s Brooklyn Heights apartment building early Thursday morning, a New York Police Department spokesperson told Spectator.

Union Theological Seminary students put out a petition in late June urging the institution to hire Mohamed Abdou, the former Arcapita visiting assistant professor in modern Arab studies at Columbia who did not receive a letter of renewal for the 2024-25 academic year.