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STORY: The school canceled in-person classes on Monday (April 22) in response to protesters setting up tent encampments at its New York City campus last week.

Protests at Yale University, Columbia, New York University and other university campuses across the nation began in response to the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, following the deadly cross-border raid by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 and Israel's fierce response in the Gaza enclave controlled by Hamas.

In an email to Columbia staff and students on Monday, Columbia President Nemat Minouche Shafik said the university was canceling in-person classes and moving to online teaching to "deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps."

Last week, Shafik called in New York police to clear a tent encampment protesters had set up on Columbia's main lawn to demand the school divest from Israel-related investments, an unusual move condemned by some faculty.

The school said the encampment violated rules. Police arrested more than 100 students from Columbia on Thursday (April 18) on charges of trespassing. Columbia and the affiliated Barnard College have suspended dozens of students involved in the protests.