The Shift: Columbia students boo school president, cheer Mahmoud Khalil at graduation

Michael ArriaMay 22, 2025

Interim Columbia University president Claire Shipman at the school’s graduation ceremony (Photo: Twitter/CU Apartheid Divest (CUAD))

Columbia University held its graduation ceremony this week. When acting school president Claire Shipman addressed the crowd, she was met with a loud chorus of boos and “Free Mahmoud!” chants.

“Good morning, Class of 2025. I know that many of you feel some amount of frustration with me, and I know you feel it with the administration,” she told the students.

Shipman’s attempt to separate the two entities was met with louder boos, and why wouldn’t it be? Since Columbia students erected a Gaza Solidarity Encampment last spring, the school has worked to stifle pro-Palestinian activism on campus.

Just days before Mahmoud Khalil was kidnapped and sent to a detention center in Louisiana, Columbia unveiled a new ICE protocol and reversed the school’s previous status as a “sanctuary campus,” allowing federal agents onto campus in certain situations.

Around the same time as Khalil’s arrest, the Trump administration sent the school an open letter implying that the president might rethink his decision to cut $400 million in (congressionally approved) federal grants to Columbia if it stepped up its crackdown on Gaza protesters.

“We expect your immediate compliance,” read the letter.

A short time later, Columbia was announcing a new round of suspensions, expulsions, and temporary degree revocations for student activists. This included the firing and expulsion of Grant Miner, president of the school’s student workers’ union. The organization was set to begin contract negotiations with the school the next day.

“The shocking move is part of a wave of crackdowns on free speech against students and workers who have spoken out and protested for peace and against the war on Gaza,” said the union in a statement. “As the UAW has emphasized, the assault on First Amendment rights being jointly committed by the federal government and Columbia University are an attack on all workers who dare to protest, speak out, or exercise their freedom of association under the US Constitution.”

The White House hasn’t stopped claiming that the university is a hotbed of rabid antisemitism. However, they have expressed support for some of the school’s recent moves on this issue.

Earlier this month, student activists occupied the school’s Butler Library in solidarity with the people of Gaza. The NYPD was immediately called in and arrested dozens of protesters. Columbia quickly suspended a number of students, including some who happened to be in the library but did not participate in the action.

Shipman said she called the cops because the students were causing “substantial chaos” and blamed the protesters for Trump’s targeting of activists.

“I am deeply disturbed at the idea that, at a moment when our international community feels particularly vulnerable, a small group of students would choose to make our institution a target,” readher statement.

The White House has not stopped attacking Columbia as a hotbed of antisemitism, but these recent suspensions did impress the Trump team.

In a recent statement, the Trump administration’s “antisemitism task force” said that Shipman “has met the moment with fortitude and conviction.”

Boo, indeed.

The People’s University for Palestine held an alternative graduation ceremony at the school. Dr. Noor Abdalla, Mahmoud Khalil’s wife, accepted a diploma on his behalf while holding their newborn child, Deen.

“Every day since Deen was born, I understand more and more why the struggle matters. I hope he grows up to be as brave as his father and as brave as every single student here who has risked so much — your education, your safety, even your futures — to speak up for Palestine,” said Abdalla. “Today we honor not only Mahmoud, but all of the students who were wrongfully expelled and suspended for standing up in support of Palestinian rights.”

Rubio testimony

This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration’s foreign policy in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He was interrupted twice by activists, who shouted about Gaza before being dragged away by security.

“I am sick and tired of waking up every day and seeing babies and children being killed with our tax money,” said Ahmed El-Masry, one of the protesters, “Our government has forced us to be complicit in this slaughter. Marco Rubio has the power to end this genocide—we need an arms embargo now to stop the starvation, stop the bombing, and Free Palestine.”

Rubio was grilled by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), but not before an extremely on-brand preface.

“You and I served together in Congress for 15 years,” explained Van Hollen. “We didn’t always agree, but I believe we shared some common values — a belief in defending democracy and human rights abroad and honoring the Constitution at home. That’s why I voted to confirm you. I believed you would stand up for those principles. You haven’t. You’ve done the opposite.”

Lucy pulled the football away from Charlie Brown yet again.

In addition to criticizing Trump’s cuts to foreign aid and his immigration policies, Van Hollen also cited the case of Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts University doctoral student who was kidnapped off the street in Massachusetts and sent to a Louisiana detention facility for the crime of writing an Op-Ed that called on her school to divest from Israel.

In his May 9 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions III said the State Department had produced no evidence connecting Ozturk to actual crimes and warned that her detention could have a chilling effect on the “millions and millions of individuals in this country who are not citizens.”

When asked about Ozturk, Rubio told Van Hollen, “A visa — it is not a right, it is a privilege. If you’re coming to the U.S. to lead campus crusades, to take over libraries, to try to burn down buildings, and commit acts of violence, we are not going to give you a visa.”

Absolutely none of this applies to Ozturk. She’s back home precisely because Rubio is incapable of producing a single shred of evidence justifying her detainment. Last month, the Washington Postreported that the government knew it had nothing on her prior to her arrest, but proceeded to target her anyway.

Despite a string of legal setbacks for the Trump team in these high-profile cases, Rubio vowed to carry out more illegal kidnappings.

“We’re going to do more,” he explained. “There are more coming. We’re going to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities.”

“Writing an Op-Ed for the Tufts newspaper is disrupting the foreign policy of the United States?,” responded Van Hollen. “That’s pathetic, Mr. Secretary.”

Rubio faced more questions on Ozturk the next day, this time from Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).

“Mr. Secretary, do you really think that Ms Ozturk’s Op-Ed results in a foreign policy consequence for the United States?” Jayapal asked Rubio. “Where in the Constitution does it say that the secretary of state can override First Amendment protections of free speech?”

“There is no constitutional right to a student visa,” Rubio responded. “It is a privilege We deny visas every day all over the world.”

“If these are legitimate law enforcement agents carrying out proper arrests, why are they hiding their identities?” Jayapal shot back.