In a video address on Friday evening, May 3, Shafik addressed the Columbia community, expressing her understanding of the difficulties faced by both students and the university administration. She acknowledged that the events of the past two weeks have been “among the most difficult in Columbia’s history.”
Shafik stated that the turmoil and tension on campus have had a significant impact on the entire community and that she believes that civil discourse can “rebuild community” on campus with both sides’ understanding and work. She emphasized that the university cannot solve the complex issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, anti-Semitism, and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias singlehandedly. However, she expressed her belief that Columbia can be an exemplar of a better world, where people who disagree do so civilly, recognize each other’s humanity, and show empathy and compassion for one another.
Shafik’s video address comes shortly after a Columbia faculty association called for a vote of no confidence for Shafik and other top administrators after the NYPD’s raids. Furious students appeared on the president’s doorstep, taking the traditional “primal scream.” The school’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors condemned the NYPD’s raids on Hamilton Hall, calling it a “horrific police attack” and criticizing the “militarized lockdown” of the Morningside Heights campus. Since mid-April, as many as 200 protesters have been arrested on the Columbia campus.
