Honoring a Seven-Decade Public Agreement and Upholding Democratic Ideals

 

UPDATE: February 2026

The Morningside Heights Community Coalition has partnered with a variety of Columbia student, faculty, and alumni groups and has jointly held three demonstrations to date in opposition to the ongoing closure of the Morningside Heights campus.

It has now been two years since the closure began.  This is an outrage to Morningside Heights.  We have heard from countless neighbors, small businesses, and visitors who agree that Columbia must reverse this policy, which literally and figuratively divides our shared community.  (Can you imagine the feelings of students' families visiting from across the country or even overseas and unable to step foot on campus?)

WE ARE GAINING MOMENTUM.  Our efforts have been covered in CBS New York, the Columbia Spectator, Fox5 New York, and West Side Rag.  We have also begun working with local businesses whose revenues have been impacted by the closure.

Our Request: Would you please share this page with your contacts, so we can get to 5,000 signatures?

Thank you so much for your interest and engagement as we work hard to keep our beloved community authentic, affordable, and diverse.  It takes all of us cooperating to achieve this.

 

Original Text:

February 15, 2025

For almost one year, senior administrators at Columbia have locked down the University's Main Campus in Morningside Heights for the stated purpose of enhancing student safety after last year's Israel-Palestine protests.

As concerned neighbors, we strongly oppose the closing of this public space in our community, both because it does not guarantee safety for Columbia students or other personnel and because it violates the University's agreement with the City of New York to maintain College Walk (W116th Street) as a public thoroughfare between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.  (This agreement was formalized in 1953 and includes a public easement across the Columbia campus.)

Seniors, people with mobility challenges, parents with strollers, local workers, and many others are adversely impacted by the closing of the Main Campus.  Local businesses have also reported a negative impact by this overreach.

We agree with the overwhelming sentiment we have heard from Columbia students and alumni: Reopen Main Campus now.  Doing so would show appropriate respect for the perspectives and priorities of Columbia's neighbors.  

It would also reinforce our shared community's storied commitment to democratic ideals.  Now, more than ever before in our lifetimes, this is a critical priority.

Morningside Heights has traditionally been a shared community.  We speak out to honor and support that vision and keep it real.