Veronica Salama, a staff lawyer with the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the changing policies reflect a larger trend that has been developing over the past year.
She observed that universities have taken a harsher approach when it comes to containing pro-Palestinian protests, compared with the anti-war protests of previous decades.
“We’ve seen several instances where universities are operating very, very differently with respect to students’ Palestine protests than they have with respect to and in response to students’ protests about issues in decades past,” she said.
But one professor at Columbia University, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of professional and personal repercussions, said he noticed his administration was taking action against protesters even more swiftly this semester.
“We’re starting the first day of class now with [three] arrests,” the professor said.
Maureen Milligan, a University at Buffalo staff member and divestment activist, credited the new rules to the continued public pressure administrators are facing. She referenced a conversation she had with colleagues at the University at Buffalo.
“One of the administrators even said it’s partially a reaction to the criticism they received because of the police brutality that occurred on the campus on May 1st when an encampment was attempted,” Milligan said.
At Columbia, private security officers from Apex Security now swarm the campus, with an employee posted at almost every door. Students, staff and faculty are required to swipe their university identification cards to enter the campus – a departure from when the school used to be open to the public.
New signs have appeared on the Columbia campus in recent weeks alerting students that it is prohibited to put up tents.
Columbia professor Amy Chazkel warned the evolving security measures have created a confused, tense environment for the university community.
“It seems absurd to even think about applying rules in a scenario where the rules are constantly changing,” Chazkel told Al Jazeera.
“And the security measures are being implemented in reaction to things that don’t exist or in reaction to political impulses about intentionally creating a feeling, a theatrics of danger on campus.”