Columbia University Protests: A Timeline

1968 Protests

On April 23, 1968, protesters gathered in the center of campus for a rally. Then students rushed into Hamilton Hall, home to Columbia's administration. Columbia University is grappling with the fallout from its president's promise to Congress that she would crack down on unsanctioned protests. A student protester leans out a window of Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York.

1968 Police Response

New York City police rushed toward student protesters in the early morning of April 30, 1968, outside Columbia University's Low Memorial Library as the campus was cleared after nearly a week of student protests. The Columbia protests erupted over the spring of that year after students discovered links between the university and the institutional apparatus of the Vietnam War.