Columbia student groups hold emergency rally on the Sundial calling for resistance against federal government encroachment, campus policies

The protest took place on the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.”

Photo by Theresa Cullen/The Barnard Bulletin

By Giselle Bradshaw, Fiona Hu, Jaya Shankar, and Lydia Snyder

April 23, 2025

On Thursday, April 17 — exactly one year after the establishment of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” — Columbia student groups held a “Hands Off Our University” rally at the Sundial in the center of the University’s campus. The demonstration was organized by Student Workers of Columbia (SWC), Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition (CPSC), Teachers College Abolition Collective, Columbia Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the newly established Columbia University Student Union (CSU). 

The student groups called for students to resist the demands of the Trump administration and condemned the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) around campus. A joint Instagram post by CSU and JVP described the rally as a “last stand for democracy.”

Around 100 protesters, some of whom wore keffiyehs, masks, or sunglasses, gathered at the Sundial around 12:30 p.m. Protesters chanted “Shipman, Shipman, get a clue, students do not stand with you,” referring to Claire Shipman, who assumed the role of Acting President of Columbia after Interim President Katrina Armstrong stepped down on March 28. 

The rally comes three days after Mohsen Mahdawi (GS ’25), a Palestinian green card holder and student activist, was detained by ICE after arriving to take his citizenship test in Vermont. Mahdawi is the fourth Columbia University student or recent graduate to be taken into ICE custody this spring. 

On April 14, the same day Mahdawi was detained, Columbia professors hosted their own “Hands Off Our University” rally, calling on the University to defend academic freedom and fight back against the demands of the Trump administration. 

Despite continued concerns from both student and faculty protesters about academic freedom and federal oversight, Shipman wrote in an April 14 email that the University’s discussions with the federal government are still ongoing and that the University would not accept any deal that would allow the government to control the University’s curriculum, research, or hiring decisions. She further stated that the University would “reject any agreement that would require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy as an educational institution.”

In an April 17 interview with The Bulletin, while the student protest at the Sundial was ongoing, Columbia professor Christia Mercer expressed that she intended to attend the rallies on April 17 at the Sundial and downtown, but ultimately did not attend either demonstration and instead held her scheduled office hours. 

Mercer assisted in the promotion of a faculty letter published on March 31 that was addressed to Acting President Shipman, chair of the Board David Greenwald, and the Board of Trustees of the University. The letter emphasized the importance of academic freedom and upholding University governance and urged University leadership to carefully evaluate current circumstances. Many Barnard professors have also signed the letter. 

Mercer explained that “faculty were in despair on Sunday because we thought Columbia would not push back, but upon Monday receiving [our] letter, it appears [Claire Shipman] is devoted to keep Columbia independent. We still don’t fully understand what that means but things are less dire.” 

Photo by Theresa Cullen/The Barnard Bulletin

Shortly after the student protest began on Thursday, representatives from student groups including JVP, Teachers College Abolition Collective, Columbia Sunrise Movement, the 116th Initiative, the Columbia University Buddhist Association, and Columbia-Barnard Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) started making speeches to a crowd of approximately 150 people, criticizing Columbia’s handling of pro-Palestinian protests and deferral to the federal government’s demands, which included an overhaul of Columbia’s disciplinary procedures and a ban on the use of face coverings for identity concealment. 

“[They] have successfully established an environment in which people are scared to even utter the word Palestine, yet we have not gotten our $400 million back,” said a representative from YDSA. “Instead, Columbia was asked by the federal government last week to agree to a consent decree.”

In their Instagram post, Columbia-Barnard JVP and CSU cited the Trump administration’s proposed consent decree, which would subject the University to oversight by a federal judge, as one reason for the emergency rally. 

Columbia is currently participating in discussions with the federal government after the Trump administration accused the University of failing to protect Jewish students and combat antisemitism. The discussion process began after the government froze $400 million in research funding and demanded that Columbia implement significant policy changes. If the consent decree is enacted as part of these negotiations, Columbia would be legally bound for years to implement the federal government’s directives related to academic and administrative decisions. Failure to comply with these directives could result in the University facing additional financial penalties and being charged with contempt of court. 

Another speaker, who identified himself as a friend of Mahdawi, expressed his desire for Columbia to “address their complicity in these abductions” and “show us what material actions they are taking to rebuke the authoritarian Trump regime and ensure the safe return of our classmates and friends.” 

Organizers also invited protesters to speak in an open forum, allowing anyone from the crowd to share their thoughts. A total of 11 speakers expressed their opinions, most of whom stated that they were speaking on their own behalf rather than affiliating themselves with a particular group. One student, who described himself as a “self-loving, anti-Zionist Jewish student,” stated that “Columbia thinks that they are doing the right thing by blaming everything on antisemitism, and all they are doing is eventually hurting Jewish students in the long run.” 

Organizers also placed a canvas tarp and markers on the lawn directly in front of the Sundial, inviting protesters who did not feel comfortable speaking to write down their ideas for “what a better Columbia could look like.”

As the protest continued, one speaker affiliated with JVP pointed out that Columbia University Life’s “Fun and Games on the Lawn” event was happening at the same time. The speaker criticized how the University is “advertising university sanctioned fun and games, as if cornhole and dining hall lemonade could repair the trust that they callously broke with their student body.” 

Around 2:30 p.m., protesters left campus, intending to head downtown to join the “Rally for the Right to Learn” at Washington Square Park as part of the “National Day of Action for Higher Education,” which was organized by the Coalition for Action in Higher Education (CAHE).

Campus News Writers Theresa Cullen and Nabiha Metla contributed to reporting for this article.