Columbia University
on Monday cancelled its main, university-wide commencement ceremony scheduled for May 15 in favour of smaller,
school-based events
, a decision that follows weeks of
pro-Palestinian protests
that roiled the
Ivy League School
.
In its statement, Columbia called the past few weeks "incredibly difficult for our community". The protests at Columbia have inspired similar demonstrations across the US.
Some universities, including Columbia, called in riot police wielding batons and flash-bang grenades to disperse and arrest hundreds of protesters, citing a need for campus safety. Civil rights groups have decried such tactics as unnecessarily violent infringements on free speech.
The turmoil on campuses has prompted several colleges to relocate, modify, or cancel commencement events altogether. In April, University of Southern California also called off its main-stage ceremony.
Columbia said Monday that it had consulted with students in deciding how to handle graduation.
Majority of the ceremonies, which had been set to take place on its upper Manhattan campus, where most of the protests have taken place, will take place at the main athletic complex about 8km away.
English (US) ·