As students return to Columbia University, the institution prepares for potential antisemitic demonstrations and implements safety measures.

Columbia University in New York City is welcoming students back for the fall 2024 semester with a lockdown to keep out "non-affiliates" with bad intentions as part of its response to antisemitic protests in the spring that culminated with police storming a barricaded building to drag out anti-Israel agitators, authorities announced over the weekend.

Authorities reported that police arrested dozens of individuals, with nearly half being non-students, at both the Hamilton Hall building of the school and a separate demonstration at City College of New York.

For weeks, demonstrators had smashed windows, blocked windows and doors with chains and furniture, and covered their faces with keffiyehs before being taken into custody. They maintained a tent encampment outside.

"The university's chief operating officer, Cas Holloway, stated that the change is aimed at ensuring the safety of the community at Columbia and other college campuses across the country as the new school year begins. The university is particularly concerned about non-affiliates who may not have the best interests of the Columbia community at heart."

The campus has rules in place that restrict entry to individuals without a university ID or prior registration, and limit the number of entrances and exits.

The new rules, which took effect on Monday, will remain in place indefinitely, authorities announced.

The entry points for campus along 116th Street are limited to checkpoints at Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, and the Wien Gate near Morningside Drive, on 114th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam, and at the Northwest Corner Building at the intersection of 120th Street and Broadway.

The school's website states that there are four different levels of public access to the campus, each represented by a distinct color.

Everyone is allowed to enter the green outdoor campus, but a university ID is required to enter buildings. All campus entrances are currently in use.

Some entrances and exits on campus are closed or have time restrictions, while the campus remains open under yellow rules.

No guest access is allowed under red rules, and only students living on campus or essential staff are permitted to enter and exit.

Last week, the school announced that it was considering security improvements following weeks of protests aimed at the Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza and Jewish students at the Manhattan Ivy League school.

"The university leadership team, including President [Minouche] Shafik, is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the entire university community, as stated by a university spokesperson to Planet Chronicle Digital. The university has been utilizing the summer to reflect on the lessons learned from the previous academic year and plan for the future."

The school was criticized for its handling of the agitators who set up camp on the lawn and were accused of antisemitic confrontations. Some faculty members defended the group and prevented others from entering their encampment.

Three senior staff members at the university were removed last month due to allegations of sharing antisemitic text messages.

The spokesperson stated that as part of the consultative process, the department is exploring different ways to enhance its public safety capabilities. The goal is to improve the department's skills and training in de-escalation techniques, which will enable them to handle a variety of incidents more effectively. Since Columbia does not have its own police force, like many of its peer institutions, the department is considering ways to reduce its dependence on the NYPD.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the school's public safety department may have peace officers with arrest powers added to it.