Gov. Hochul holds campus safety meeting with hundreds of New York college leaders

NEW YORK — New York state officials are conducting a review of college safety plans as pro-Palestinian protests start to resume at some campuses, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.

The governor convened the state police and Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services with the leaders of more than 200 campuses on Zoom late Monday afternoon — including the presidents of Columbia University and the City University of New York, where hundreds of students and their allies were arrested last spring.

“As tensions may be high as we start the academic year, I will continue to ensure all campus leaders and public safety officials have the resources they need to keep students safe,” Hochul said in a statement.

The review of campus’ emergency plans is part of a broader effort to “ensure all students are able to attend classes safely,” according to the governor’s office — after classes at some New York campuses came to a grinding halt last spring.

At Columbia, the final stretch of the spring semester shifted online following the police raid of the Hamilton Hall occupation and a sprawling encampment in the middle of campus; the Morningside Heights institution ultimately cancelled its university-wide graduation ceremony. City College, a CUNY campus in Harlem, temporarily turned to remote learning in the aftermath of arrests.

Protests have already started to resume at some New York college campuses. Protesters at Columbia brought noisemakers, wooden spoons and pans, and a drum to disrupt convocation Sunday, according to social media videos. At CUNY, law students unfurled banners accusing the system of funding Israel’s war in Gaza, while students at NYU have organized a “disorientation week” as an alternative to university-sponsored programming.

Hochul also announced the state’s domestic terrorism prevention unit led a survey of members of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, such as Columbia and New York University, to assess their threat management teams. The unit has also provided trainings to several campuses in the State University of New York system, and is starting to hire new staff to support other New York colleges.

Meanwhile, the New York State Police has directed troop commanders to visit college administrators at “campuses of concern” before the fall semester, the governor’s office said. It was not immediately clear which campuses were included.