News | Administration
Columbia locks down Morningside campus following Hamilton occupation, Barnard restricted to affiliates
Access to the Morningside campus will be indefinitely restricted to students living in on-campus residence halls and essential personnel.
By Heather Chen / Columbia Daily SpectatorThe only access point to the Morningside campus is the 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue gates.By Sarah Huddleston, Manuela Silva, and Amira McKee • April 30, 2024 at 10:47 AM
By Sarah Huddleston, Manuela Silva, and Amira McKee • April 30, 2024 at 10:47 AM
Updated on April 30 at 8:46 a.m.
Columbia indefinitely restricted access to its Morningside campus to students residing in on-campus residence halls and essential personnel, according to a Tuesday morning email from the Emergency Management Operations Team. The conditions will remain “until circumstances allow otherwise.”
Barnard restricted campus access to Barnard affiliates and canceled all in-person campus events following Columbia’s decision to lock down its Morningside campus. Barnard dining halls, residence halls, the Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning, and health services will remain open.
“Access to some campus buildings may be further restricted,” the email reads.
Residents living in on-campus housing—Carman Hall, Furnald Hall, John Jay Hall, Hartley Hall, Wallach Hall, East Campus, and Wien Hall—will be the only students with access to campus, according to the email. These residence halls primarily house first-years and sophomores.
Essential personnel includes “employees who provide essential services to campus buildings, labs and residential student life,” including Public Safety and building maintenance and Columbia Dining staff.
The only access point to enter and exit the Morningside campus is the 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue gates. All other entry points, according to the email, will be closed.
Only individuals requiring disability access may enter campus through Wien Hall and East Campus.
“There is no additional access to the Morningside campus,” the Emergency Management Operations Team wrote.
The email comes six hours after around three dozen protesters occupied Hamilton Hall, pledging to remain inside the building until the University meets its stated demands, including divestment from Israel, financial transparency, and amnesty for students detained and suspended in the mass arrests on April 18.
Protesters sealed off the building minutes after entry, barricading the doors with wooden tables, chairs, and zip ties. Demonstrators outside moved the metal tables outside Hartley Hall to the front of the doors, securing them shut with ropes and zip ties.
Edited by Head Copy Editors Yvin Shin and August Phillips.
University News Editor Sarah Huddleston can be contacted at sarah.huddleston@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec.
City News Editor Manuela Silva can be contacted at manuela.silva@columbiaspectator.com. Follow her on X @manuelas957.
Head of Investigations Amira Mckee can be contacted at amira.mckee@columbiaspectator.com. Follow her on X @_amiramckee.
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