‘I’m trying hard to get out’: Columbia University student concerned amid protests

ORLANDO, Fla. — Columbia University is restricting access to its campus after a night of heated pro-Palestinian protests.

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Update:

This was a Morningside Campus alert from Columbia University:

“Shelter in place for your safety due to heightened activity on the Morningside campus. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action. Avoid the area until further notice.”

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Video captured students storming Hamilton Hall, smashing windows and barricading the doors with furniture.

This is just one among the dozens of colleges seeing clashes on campus.

9 Investigates Shannon Butler spoke to a Columbia University student who fled the university in fear of doing classes and final exams back at home.

Read: ‘Not a day care’: Several arrested during pro-Palestinian protests at Florida universities

An order to leave by 2 p.m. Monday did not detour the pro-Palestinian protestors.

Threats of suspension and expulsion for students in an encampment was not enough and last night things got more chaotic.

Ella Saffron worked hard to get into Columbia, a family tradition. Her grandfather, father and brother all went before her.

But now, in her junior year, she could not wait to leave.

“I keep saying, ‘I tried so hard to get into Columbia,” she said. “Now I’m trying hard to get out.”

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She said she woke up to an encampment outside her dorm room window two weeks ago. The next day she was gone.

“I decided to leave because I felt like it wasn’t safe,” Saffron said. “The threats are getting worse. I was seeing videos of what was going on…

I decided to leave because I felt like it wasn’t safe. The threats were getting worse. I was seeing videos of what was going on on campus, and it was honestly just so difficult to concentrate and study.

I got a call. And when the 60 tents went up and I said, you know what? When what time is your last class? And she said, 7:00. And I said, I’m getting you on a 9 p.m. flight to come home. And so she came home at midnight that night. And she’s been home ever since. We just left everything in the dorm

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Saffron is Jewish, but had no problem with people protesting. But she feared that someday the protestors would get out of control.

On Tuesday morning, she and her mom watched as students broke into Hamilton Hall, breaking windows and barricaded themselves inside.

Just before 6:30 a.m., she received an email asking students and faculty to stay home, but she blames the university for letting it get this far.

An email from the university president on Monday morning showed that he was balancing keeping students safe and allowing the protestors their First Amendment rights.

But pleading with everyone to be respectful as the campus was divided over the war in Gaza.

The email reads in part:

“The encampment has created an unwelcome environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty.”

The email also said students like Saffron who felt they needed to leave was “a tragedy.”

But she said it shouldn’t have had to make that choice.

“I’m very frustrated with the Columbia administration,” Saffron said. “And I think that’s the one thing that both sides share, is feeling really not protecting or not heard by the Columbia administration. Both on the pro-Israel and pro-Palestine side, actually. It’s ridiculous. It’s awful. I can’t even imagine that Columbia would do something like this, especially I come from a family that prides themselves on going to Columbia.”

Many students across the country did not graduate from high school because of the pandemic, and some will not graduate from college either.

Several arrested during pro-Palestinian protests at University of Florida Several people were arrested Monday during a protest at the University of Florida. (WFTV)

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