Columbia University Suspending Students Still at Encampment

Columbia has begun suspending students who defied an afternoon deadline to clear out their encampments.

And while the university has been trying to avoid bringing back the police, they want the nearly two-week-long protest to end. CBS 2's Ali Bauman is live now outside Columbia in Morningside Heights. Ali.

Christina, Maurice, we are now nine hours past the administration's deadline for student protesters to clear the encampment or face suspension. The university president said the protest has created an unwelcome environment for some Jewish students and a distraction for final exams. But most protesters we spoke to said they're not going anywhere. Police stand guard outside Columbia University Monday night where inside-

Free, free Palestine.

... hundreds of students rally throughout the day in support of Palestinians, as well as their classmates, who have been camped out on the campus lawn for nearly two weeks.

They're standing up for what is right and I'm standing up for them.

After days of negotiations, the school administration said definitively Monday it will not divest from Israel, which was the protesters' main demand. Student negotiator, Mahmoud Khalil.

This is the new floor to us. This is the new floor to this movement, and the university should understand this.

In a letter to students, the administration told protesters they had until 2:00 PM to clear the encampment and sign a form committing to abide by university policies in order to finish the semester in good standing. Those who do not, the letter warned, will be suspended indefinitely, not allowed to finish the semester or graduate for seniors and be banned from campus and residential housing.

The students made it clear they're willing to stay here as long as needed to achieve their demands.

I am happy that Columbia is taking a stance to protect its Jewish and Israeli student body that have been fearful for these past few weeks.

This student told us he came to campus for the last day of classes despite having a virtual option.

Growing up in Israel, a big recurring theme was never again, and I don't think Jews should be intimidated.

As the deadline came and went, some faculty locked arms to protect the encampment, including Architectural History professor Reinhold Martin.

To defend their right to speak politically, peacefully.

This all comes the same day some students filed a federal class action lawsuit against Columbia, arguing it had failed to protect them against anti-Semitism and harassment.

If they can enforce their procedures and restore the campus to some sense of normalcy, then the lawsuit will go away.

The administration says, in negotiations, it offered to establish more transparency around the university's investment holdings and for an alternate venue for protests after graduation on May 15th. Now, it's unclear if the university will ask the NYPD to clear the encampment before then. Remember, Columbia is private property, so officers can only enter the campus at the request of the administration. We're live in Morningside Heights. Ali Bauman, CBS 2 News.

Okay, Ali. Thank you.