NEW YORK — Maryam Alwan, a Columbia University senior, was in Jordan visiting family during winter break when she received a university email accusing her of harassment. The primary cause for concern: an opinion piece she wrote in the student newspaper advocating for divestment from Israel.
According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, the university has initiated multiple investigations, spearheaded by the Office of Institutional Equity, a recently formed disciplinary committee, to identify Columbia students critical of Israel.
In recent weeks, numerous students have received notices regarding actions ranging from sharing pro-Palestinian social media content to participating in “unauthorized” demonstrations. One student activist is being investigated for posting stickers resembling “Wanted” posters with images of university trustees off campus. Another student, who is president of a campus literary club, may face penalties for co-hosting an off-campus event focused on last spring’s occupation of a campus building.
In Alwan’s case, investigators suggested that her unsigned op-ed in the Columbia Spectator, which also urged the university to sever academic ties with Israel, might have subjected other students to “unwelcome conduct” based on their religion, national origin, or military service. It is worth noting that Jewish students are also among those being investigated for criticizing Israel.
“It felt incredibly unfair that something subjected to rigorous editing could be labeled discriminatory simply because it concerned Palestine,” said Alwan, a Palestinian-American comparative studies major. “It has discouraged me from writing or speaking about the issue.”
The committee informed her that potential sanctions for violating school policy ranged from a simple warning to expulsion.
The new disciplinary office is generating concern among students, faculty, and free speech advocates, who claim the university is yielding to President Donald Trump’s threats to cut funding to universities and deport campus “agitators.”
“Based on the way these cases have been handled, the university seems to be reacting to governmental pressure to stifle protected speech,” said Amy Greer, an attorney advising students accused of discrimination. “It is acting like a business, prioritizing the protection of its assets over its students, faculty, and staff.”
Columbia is under financial pressure
On Monday, federal agencies announced they were considering cutting $51 million in contracts to the university—along with billions more in additional grants—due to its “ongoing inaction in the face of relentless harassment of Jewish students.”
“We firmly believe that calls for, promotion of, or glorification of violence or terror have no place at our university,” Columbia said in a statement following the announcement.
House Republicans have also launched their own review of Columbia’s disciplinary process. Their most recent request gave administrators until Feb. 27 to submit student disciplinary records for about a dozen campus incidents, including protests it claimed “promoted terrorism and vilified the U.S. military,” as well as the off-campus art exhibition.
A Columbia spokesperson declined to comment on what, if any, records were provided to Congress and whether they included student names, citing ongoing investigations.
The new disciplinary committee was established last summer. According to the university’s updated harassment policy, criticizing another country’s policies could be deemed harassment if “directed at or infused with discriminatory comments about persons from, or associated with, that country.” The policy also states that “the use of code words may implicate” it.
Some Jewish students at Columbia participated in pro-Palestinian protests. Other Jewish students have asserted that the rhetoric at protests has become antisemitic and that the administration has been too lenient towards demonstrators who created a hostile environment for supporters of Israel.
Disciplinary committee works in secret
Under the office’s policies, students are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before accessing case materials or speaking with investigators, ensuring the process has been largely confidential since its inception late last year. Aspects of the committee’s work were revealed this week by the online publication Drop Site News.
Those who have met with investigators report being asked to identify other individuals involved in pro-Palestinian groups and protests on campus. They stated that the investigators did not offer clear guidelines on whether specific terms—such as “Zionist” or “genocide”—would be considered harassment.
Several students and faculty who spoke with the AP claimed the committee accused them of participating in demonstrations they did not attend or helping to distribute social media messages they did not post.
Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student who acted as a negotiator for pro-Palestinian protesters during last spring’s encampment, said he was accused of misconduct by the office just weeks before his graduation this December. “I have around 13 allegations against me, most of them are social media posts that I had nothing to do with,” he said.
After refusing to sign the non-disclosure agreement, Khalil said the university placed a hold on his transcript and threatened to prevent him from graduating. However, after he appealed the decision through a lawyer, they ultimately relented, Khalil said.
“They just want to demonstrate to Congress and right-wing politicians that they’re taking action, regardless of the consequences for students,” Khalil said. “It’s primarily an office designed to stifle pro-Palestine speech.”
According to some students, the disciplinary measures may be reigniting the pro-Palestinian protest movement that affected campuses last year.
In recent days, students have occupied multiple buildings at Barnard College, a Columbia University affiliate, to protest the expulsion of two students accused of disrupting an Israeli history class. Several students were arrested following an hours-long takeover of a building Wednesday night.
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