Barnard Employee Hospitalized During Student Sit-In

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — A Barnard College campus employee was injured and hospitalized on Wednesday night, during a sit-in staged by pro-Palestinian students, a Barnard spokesperson told Patch.

The demonstration, which took place in Barnard's Milbank Hall, was protesting the expulsion of two students who had disrupted a class on Israeli history, as first reported by The Columbia Spectator.

The students pushed past a security guard around 4 p.m., in an attempt to occupy the area in front of Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage’s office, according to the report.

Barnard College's Vice President for Strategic Communications Robin Levine said that a "small group of masked protesters" had “physically assaulted a Barnard employee, sending them to the hospital."

New York City Police Department officials told Patch that a 41-year-old man was "shoved by numerous people" and rushed from Millbank Hall by medics to Mt. Sinai Morningside Hospital at 4:08 p.m. for pain and is in stable condition.

The protest dispersed around 10:30 p.m., after hours of negotiations between faculty and students, Barnard President Laura Rosenbury said.

"Tonight, a small group of masked protesters attempted to undermine Barnard’s core values of respect, inclusion, and academic excellence," Rosenbury said.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.