Columbia president 'sorry' for canceled commencement amid anti-Israel protests, now faces 'hard questions'
Fox News
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik acknowledged the “strain" that the anti-Israel protests put on its community, including its Jewish members.
"Canceling the traditional Commencement ceremony was one of the toughest calls in a year of many tough calls," Shafik wrote. "I recognize the toll the past few months have taken on your university experience, and I want you to know that I am deeply sorry for the disappointment that many of you may be feeling as a result."
University officials announced last week that the university-wide commencement, which would have been held Wednesday, would be replaced with a series of smaller "class days" and school-level ceremonies over security concerns following a wave of antisemitic protests that resulted in more than 100 arrests.