Two Barnard College students in New York City have been expelled for their alleged roles in disrupting the first session of the History of Modern Israel course last month.
The expulsions were made public by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group that calls on Columbia University to divest from any association with Israel. Barnard and Columbia are affiliated institutions.
In a post on X, the group said the Barnard administration has historically been hostile to those in support of Palestine while “wielding harsh disciplinary sentences against protestors to stifle dissent in an attempt to erase their complicity.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Barnard President Laura Rosenbury said that under federal law, the college can’t “comment on the academic and disciplinary records of students.”
“That said, as a matter of principle and policy, Barnard will always take decisive action to protect our community as a place where learning thrives, individuals feel safe, and higher education is celebrated,” Rosenbury wrote, without confirming the expulsions. “This means upholding the highest standards and acting when those standards are threatened.”
“When rules are broken, when there is no remorse, no reflection, and no willingness to change, we must act,” she added. “Expulsion is always an extraordinary measure, but so too is our commitment to respect, inclusion, and the integrity of the academic experience. At Barnard, we always fiercely defend our values. At Barnard, we always reject harassment and discrimination in all forms. And at Barnard, we always do what is right, not what is easy.” More here