Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union has released a statement urging the college to condemn the actions of Columbia University and protect its students. The statement is in response to the recent crackdown on student activists who participated in the Pro-Palestine demonstrations last year.
Trinity is closely tied to the Ivy-league university, offering a Dual BA program that allows students to attend both Trinity and Columbia for two years each, receiving a separate degree from both institutions at the end of their studies.
However, as Columbia has bended to increasingly authoritarian demands made by U.S President Donald Trump, Dual BA students have become worried about what Trinity will do to protect them as they complete their final two years in the U.S.
After $400m (€370m) in federal funding was pulled from Columbia for alleged “inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students”, the Trump administration issued nine demands for the college in order to restore this funding.
Columbia has implemented several of these demands already, including the banning of some masks, the employment of 36 on-campus ‘special officers’ with power of arrest trained by the New York Police Department, and the appointment of a senior vice provost to oversee the department of Middle East, South Asian and African studies.
These announcements all come in the wake of the unlawful detention of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil by ICE (U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement) as a result of his involvement in the protests. Mahmoud Khalil is a legal resident of the United States who is being threatened with deportation over his involvement with UNRWA, a UN relief organisation that provides food and refuge to Palestinians.
In response to this increasingly autocratic government influence on Columbia’s campus, TCDSU is demanding “strong leadership” from the college. Last week, union president Jenny Maguire, sent a letter to the Provost and the Head of the Global engagement, expressing concern over the wellbeing of Trinity students in Columbia. This week, the union has released a statement reiterating these concerns.
In the recent TCDSU statement, titled “Trinity must challenge the status quo when the status quo is fascism”, claims were made that several Trinity students have been disciplined by Columbia over their involvement in the protests.
The statement also makes clear the union’s stance on these crackdowns. They urge the college to “be proactive in fulfilling its duty of care to students currently attending Columbia University” and to “condemn the actions of Columbia”.
In the statement, the union also emphasises their stance that “All avenues must be explored to ensure the welfare of students is secured, including a reevaluation of the partnership itself”.
The union is encouraging Dual BA students to reach out to TCDSU President Jenny Maguire via email about their experience and concerns.
