April 30, 2024 - US university protests (2024)

2:21 a.m. ET, May 1, 2024

Our live coverage of the protests rocking US campuses has moved here

12:35 a.m. ET, May 1, 2024

Over 100 protesters arrested across 2 New York college campuses, law enforcement official says

From CNN’s Mark Morales

April 30, 2024 - US university protests (1)

Over 100 protesters were arrested Tuesday at Columbia University and City College of New York, according to a law enforcement official.

Most of the arrests were made at Columbia, including about two dozen protesters who police say tried to prevent officers from entering the campus, the official said.

Tactical teams at Columbia first set up a perimeter around the campus to hold back protesters and prevent further arrests, according to the official. Offers then entered the campus through multiple entry points.

12:35 a.m. ET, May 1, 2024

"It's still a student-fueledmovement," Columbia student magazine editor says

From CNN's Kathleen Magramo

Jonas Du, editor-in-chief of a Columbia student magazine, told CNN that the protests on campus are student-fueled regardless of any outsider involvement.

It’s “hard to say” whether those arrested from Columbia's Hamilton Hall were students or from outside the institution, the Columbia Sundial editor said.

“Even though campus has been locked down to Columbia ID holders, now there has been ways of getting in, getting non-affiliated into campus. But for the most part you need Columbia IDs, you need students to provide you with IDs that can get you into campus," said Du, who is a junior student at the university.

Du said he believes there is “evidence” of outsideorganizations behind the occupation's planning, but he also says numerous Columbia students were inside Hamilton Hall.

He said he recognized “many, many Columbiastudents in the crowd” that formed human chains around the entrances to Hamilton Hall while reporting on the protests.

“At the end of the day,it's still a student-fueledmovement. It wouldn’t have gotten to (this) extent without the of the student organizations here.”

Du said students received a text message and email alert from the school stating that a shelter-in-place order had been issued, asking them to remain in their dorms and not to go on campus.

"But all of us knewthat that was sort of a signalthat the NYPD was going to raidcampus," he added.

1:08 a.m. ET, May 1, 2024

Video shows Arizona State University police officer removing protester’s hijab during arrest

From CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow

April 30, 2024 - US university protests (2)

Video taken over the weekend at Arizona State University shows acampuspolice officer removing a hijab from a protester’s head during her arrest.

The blurred video, obtained byMass Liberation AZ and provided to CNN by attorney Zayed Al-Sayyed,who represents the women, shows severalASU Police Departmentofficers surrounding a woman whose hands are held behind her back as one of the officers removes her hijab.

People nearby can be heard yelling, “You’re violating her privacy,” and “Give it back.”

The officers then pull the woman’s sweatshirt hood over her head and a bystander yells, “So she can wear a hood but not her hijab?” At one point one of the officers blocks the woman from the view of those taking the video, as a person yells, “let her go!”

A lawyer representing her and three other women who said it also happened to them is demanding accountability.

Al-Sayyed, who said the arrests took place early Saturday, did not identify the women but indicated that three of them are students at the university and all four are Phoenix-area residents. They are facing criminal trespass charges.

Upon being taken into custody, Al-Sayyed said, the women explained the significance of a hijab and “begged” to keep their hijabs, but he said they were told that their hijabs had to be removed for safety reasons.

“They never expected that an officer … who’s sworn to protect and serve is going to violate their most basic protected right under the United States Constitution, which is the right to practice their religion. So they're hurt,” Al-Sayyed said.

After being detained and bused to jail, the women were not given their hijabs back, Al-Sayyed said.

Around 15 hours later, when he was finally given access to his clients, Al-Sayyed said he was able to bring them new hijabs.

The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ),condemnedthe university police for the recorded incident and others like it and called for a full investigation.

“This act represents a blatant infringement upon the religious liberties of peaceful protesters. It is profoundly distressing for the affected women, and ASU Police must conduct a thorough investigation into this matter,” Azza Abuseif, executive director of CAIR-AZ, said in an email to CNN.

In a statement to CNN, the university said, “This matter is under review.”CNN has reached out to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for comment.

11:41 p.m. ET, April 30, 2024

Protests will continue despite police presence at Columbia, student negotiator says

From CNN's Kathleen Magramo

A lead student negotiator for protesters at Columbia University has told CNN that protests will continue on the campus despite the school's request for a police presence.

The university has asked NYPD to maintain its presence on campus until May 17.

"I’m very confident that students will continue this movement even after all this brutality against them," negotiator Mahmoud Khalil said, adding that students still have the right to protest despite increased security.

Since negotiations between student protesters and the Columbia University administration began two weeks ago, the university has not viewed them as an anti-war movement, he said.

"Instead, they dealt with it as an internal student discipline matter. They negotiated with us about bringing food and blankets to the encampment. They refused to acknowledge that this actually is more than that, this is a nationwide movement.

"This is a movement that asks Columbia to divest its investments from the companies that are fuelling the war in Gaza right now,” said Khalil, who is a second-year graduate student at Columbia.

Tensions escalated on campus when officers entered Columbia's Hamilton Hall, which had been occupied by protesterssince the early hours of Tuesday, and dozens were seen being arrested.

Khalil said that "the autonomous group decided to take that building when they felt the university is not answering their demands" and was "alienating" them.

12:34 a.m. ET, May 1, 2024

Police presence at Columbia may dampen graduation celebrations, CNN journalist and student says

From CNN's Elizabeth Wolfe

April 30, 2024 - US university protests (3)

Julia Vargas Jones, a CNN journalist and Columbia Journalism School graduate student, said the university's request for an on-campus police presence through May 17 will only "dampen the mood even more" as students and their families prepare for graduation.

NYPD swarmed the university Tuesday night after the university authorized them to go into the campus to clear out a building being occupied by protesters. CNN has witnessed dozens of arrests.

"Graduation is May 15. That is my graduation as well. I have family coming from Brazil to come watch me walk across the stage and get my diploma. I hope of course, as everyone does, that this (graduation) can happen," Jones said.

"But at the same time, is there a climate for celebration, for graduation?" Jones said.

Jones said she's unsure the climate on campus will be celebratory as graduation nears.

"I spoke to a lot of students on campus today and students were just feeling caught in between. I don't really see celebration being something we flock to in the coming weeks," she said. "I'm interested to see who will actually attend graduation."

Jones said she has not witnessed any violent altercations as she reported from inside Columbia’s campus Tuesday night.After the campus was cleared by NYPD, Jones described the atmosphere as quiet enough to “hear a pin drop.”

12:34 a.m. ET, May 1, 2024

NYPD used flash bangs to breach Columbia building where doors were barricaded

From CNN’s Matthew Friedman and Miguel Marquez

NYPD officers used flash-bang grenades to breach Columbia's Hamilton Hall, which protesters had barricaded themselves inside Tuesday, the police department told CNN.

The building's doors had been barricaded with chairs, tables and vending machines, and windows had been covered with newspaper, the NYPD said.

When a flash-bang grenade is deployed, it emits a bright flash and a very loud bang, often used to shock and disorient.

Video posted by NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry shows officers searching a bookshelf-lined office after busting the door's lock with a hammer.

Another video shows officers packing a stairwell and passing chairs to one another.

At least 50 officers had earlier used an elevated ramp to climb into the building through a window.

12:34 a.m. ET, May 1, 2024

Columbia University property has been cleared, NYPD says

From CNN’s Matthew Friedman and Miguel Marquez at Columbia

Columbia University’s property has been cleared, the New York Police Department told CNN, less than two hours after officers entered the school’s campus in Morningside Heights.

Hamilton Hall has also been cleared, the NYPD says, and nobody was wounded during the operation.

The NYPD is still monitoring different locations for protesters across the city, they said.

12:34 a.m. ET, May 1, 2024

Photos show NYPD action at Columbia University

From CNN Digital’s Photo Team

The New York Police Department entered the Columbia University campus late Tuesday evening after receiving a letter from the university authorizing them to go into the campus, a law enforcement source familiar with the situation told CNN.

Officers entered Hamilton Hall, which had been occupied by protesterssince the early morning hours Tuesday.

Dozens of people have been arrested.

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FAQs

What is UCLA protesting for? ›

Tensions boiled over at UCLA during the weeklong encampment that started last Thursday, where pro-Palestinian protestors dominated Royce Quad. The group called for a ceasefire in Gaza and demanded UCLA cut ties with Israel.

Why are students protesting in America? ›

Campus encampments have become tantamount to riots as anger grows over Israel's war on Hamas. Pro-Palestinian activists want their colleges to 'divest' Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have spread across more than 60 university campuses in the United States, resulting in more than 2,000 arrests in two weeks.

Why is the USC protesting? ›

USC, a private university, has been the subject of student protests over the war in Gaza as well as the administration's decision to cancel a commencement speech by the valedictorian, a Muslim student who had expressed support for Palestinians.

What are UT students protesting? ›

But while student life marches on as normal for some, student protesters like Jardine have clutched tightly in the last two weeks onto their demands for the university to divest from manufacturers supplying Israel weapons in its strikes on Gaza.

Why are students protesting at Columbia? ›

Why: The students are protesting the war's death toll and are calling for universities to separate themselves from any companies that are advancing Israel's military efforts in Gaza. Now: See the latest updates on protests on college campuses across the U.S.

How many students does UCLA reject? ›

Because UCLA admissions accepted 12,844 students out of a total of 149,815 applicants, their acceptance rate for 2022 was 8.57%, which rounds up to 9%. There is no single formula for how to get into UCLA—the UCLA acceptance rate is just one factor in the overall UCLA admissions process.

When did student protests start? ›

University of California, Berkeley: Free Speech in 1960s

At the University of California Berkeley starting in 1964, students protested the university's limits on political activities and free speech during the civil rights movement and Vietnam-war era.

What are the campus riots about? ›

Demonstrators have set up encampments on more than 80 campuses across the US and are demanding that academic institutions sever financial ties with Israel or companies that are connected to the Israeli military's war in Gaza.

Is it okay to protest at school? ›

You do not lose your right to free speech just by walking into school. You have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions, and wear expressive clothing in school — as long as you don't disrupt the functioning of the school or violate the school's content-neutral policies.

Why did USC get banned? ›

Background. Probes by both USC and the NCAA found that football star Reggie Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, and basketball star O. J. Mayo had effectively forfeited their amateur status (in Mayo's case, before he ever played a game for USC) by accepting gifts from agents.

What did USC get punished for? ›

June 10, 2010: The NCAA rules that USC showed a lack of institutional control -- citing running back Reggie Bush and basketball player O.J. Mayo as having accepted improper gifts and benefits from agents.

Why not to attend USC? ›

Price - This is a HUGE factor. Without receiving any sort of financial aid or scholarship, USC is not very affordable for most students and families. USC's cost of attendance is upward of ~$80,000 per year, which is almost three times the cost of attendance for a UC school. USC has too many fees on top of tuition.

What happened at UT Austin? ›

Authorities and protesters clashed during the latest pro-Palestinian demonstration at the university on Monday. Authorities arrested 79 people during the second police crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of Texas at Austin since last week, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office.

How many female students are at UT? ›

University of Texas at Austin has a total undergraduate enrollment of 41,309 (fall 2022), with a gender distribution of 43% male students and 57% female students.

When did UT allow female students? ›

1893. Women were admitted to UT on an equal footing with men beginning in 1893, after the board of trustees approved co-education. Women had been admitted on an experimental basis in 1892, and when our institution was Blount College five women were among its admitted students in 1804.

What happened on the UCLA campus? ›

Police removed barricades and began dismantling a fortified encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators early Thursday at the University of California, Los Angeles after hundreds of protesters defied police orders to leave and about 24 hours after counter-protesters attacked the tent encampment on the campus.

What is the UCLA harassment policy? ›

It is the policy of the University of California not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed by or seeking services from the University on the basis of race,, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy[1], physical or ...

What is the affirmative action plan UCLA? ›

The AAP includes outreach programs and other steps that are designed to correct past and present discrimination that has resulted in underutilization. The AAP also contains goals to measure success toward achieving the University's affirmative action objectives.

What did UCLA stand for? ›

So what does UCLA stand for? It stands for the University of California, Los Angeles, but it also stands for the university's history of excellence and its commitment to creating an encouraging learning experience for its students.

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