Barnard College has suspended at least 53 students for their participation at the large anti-Israel protest at Columbia University, according to a new report.
The students have been evicted from the campus and lost access to most of its facilities, with those who were among the 108 arrested at Columbia last week given only 15 minutes to gather their belongings and leave the student housing area, the Columbia Spector reports.
“Students on interim suspension no longer have access to most Barnard buildings, but they remain eligible for College services, including healthcare, mental health counseling, and academic support,” the school said in a statement about the suspension.
“The Dean of the College also has made food available to students on interim suspension and is otherwise assisting students find alternative housing arrangements when needed,” it added.
Several of the affected students have slammed the college for its decision, with senior Izzy Lapidus — an aspiring elementary school teacher — calling the suspensions “vile.”
“The majority of students — which has been the case for months — who are organizing or putting themselves on the line are students of color or low-income students of color. I think what Barnard is doing is so vile,” Lapidus told the Spector.
Lapidus challenged her suspension in a letter to Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage, asking for it to be overturned so she can resume her courses.
“I respectfully request that you immediately restore access to my housing and my classes, and that this access remains in place until we have a chance to meet,” Lapidus wrote.
Barnard College did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Other suspended students, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claimed the school was not helping them find alternative places to stay and leaving them high and dry to make their own way home or find a different place to live.
Some also claimed that security staff have pictures of them on hand to make sure they stay out of the Manhattan campus.
The Columbia University-affiliated women’s college, however, has offered to lift the suspensions to many of the students so long as they had no previous misconduct incidents on their record.
“Last night, the College sent written notices to these students offering to lift the interim suspensions and immediately restore their access to College buildings, if they agree to follow all Barnard rules during a probationary period,” college president Laura Rosenbury wrote in a statement.
The notice gave students until 5 p.m. Tuesday to accept the deal, promising that their suspension would not appear on their academic transcripts.
The students were also told they would be permitted to attend classes remotely during their probationary period, which would last until Aug. 9.
Among the students suspended was the daughter of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Isra Hirsi, who publicly revealed her punishment over her involvement in the protest at Columbia’s Morningside campus.
The Barnard junior — who is one of three children Rep. Omar shares with her ex-husband Ahmed Hirsi – had shared footage of herself participating in the controversial protest a day earlier, calling it a “huge historic moment.”
