Columbia University students boo acting president during commencement speech
NEW YORK (CBS, KYMA, KECY) - Columbia College students booed Acting President Claire Shipman during her speech at the 2025 commencement ceremony Tuesday.
Footage by X user @mollikajaisingh shows students drowning out the president's words Tuesday morning with loud shouting and boos.
"Good morning class of 2025," Shipman can be heard saying in the video. "I know that many of you feel some amount of frustration with me, and I know you feel it with the administration."
Shipman has come under fire for authorizing the NYPD to enter Columbia University's Butler Library during a Pro-Palestine protest on May 7.
The Columbia Spectator reported that more than 70 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested as a result, and police told Fox News that at least 50 of those arrested were Columbia students.
"Individuals participating in the Reading Room 301 disruption were repeatedly asked for identification and to leave, and were repeatedly told that failure to comply would result in violations of our rules and policies and possible arrest for trespassing," Shipman said in a statement at the time.
"We have been clear from the outset about applying our protocols and advising participants of the potential consequences of not complying. Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community," she wrote.
