Rochester graduate speaks about witnessing headline-grabbing protests at Columbia University

Jordan Shearer, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·3 min read
2

Apr. 26—NEW YORK — Two years after leaving his hometown of Rochester for college, Max Comfere has found himself in the epicenter of one of the largest protests against American support for the war between Israel and Hamas that's playing out in the streets of Gaza.

Comfere is a 2022 Century High School graduate studying computer engineering at Columbia University. As a sophomore living on campus, he has seen firsthand how the movement has changed life for students on campus, while also becoming headline news around the country.

"The tension is palpable," Comfere said about the environment at Columbia. "Every conversation I have with my peers — with my classmates — is kind of dominated by the Israel-Palestine conflict."

The terrorist organization Hamas first attacked Israel Oct. 7, 2023, prompting Israel to declare war. That has since led to an ongoing military campaign that has resulted in thousands of deaths in the Gaza Strip.

Although protests against the United States' financial involvement in the war has been ongoing for months, it has reached a fever pitch in recent weeks. According to the Washington Post, more than 100 people were recently arrested from a protest in the form of a large encampment on a Columbia University lawn.

The president of Columbia University, Nemat (Minouche) Shafik went before Congress to speak about how the school was balancing students' First Amendment rights with safety concerns. Comfere described House Speaker Mike Johnson was recently on campus.

The conflict on campus became so severe that the university required all classes to be virtual this past Monday and that they would be in a hybrid system for the rest of the year.

Comfere remembers getting an email about the change in the early hours of the morning.

"I think that was a smart move to reset — to kind of calm things down," Comfere said. "Despite that, there's still some sense of order on campus. It hasn't completely descended into chaos, but you do feel this heavy air."

Comfere described how the tensions have evolved over time. Earlier in the year, it was very visible between student groups identifying with either the plight of Israel or Palestine, Comfere said, with the two groups literally yelling at each other.

Now, the tone has morphed into a situation where pro-Palestinian protesters have become pitted against the university administration, calling for the university to retract its investments related to Israel.

The ongoing rallying cry has captured the attention of national media outlets, law enforcement and politicians.

As he walks outside, there are drones in the air. Even making a phone call at 7:30 p.m., on Wednesday, April 24, he could hear protesters chanting in the background.

Columbia University has a tradition of protests, going back decades, including a notable example from 1968 when students seized five campus buildings during a protest against the Vietnam War.

Comfere chose to attend Columbia for a number of reasons. It has a beautiful campus. It's challenging and intellectually stimulating. It fostered and supported his desire to learn.

That environment, he believes, is part of the reason it's become a focal point for the protests.

"I think the dissension here is a reflection of that," Comfere said about the protests. "You have people with incredibly complex ideas. ... I think that's a positive reflection on the intellectual capacity of the Columbia University student body."