Dear President Shafik:

We are the concerned parents and guardians of Columbia University student(s). We have been watching recent events with a growing sense of dismay and feel compelled to voice our concern. We are not significant donors, there are no buildings on campus named after us, and we do not wield the power or influence of Columbia’s legacy families.

But we represent the majority of Columbia parents. We want the campus to be safe. We want our children to be safe. And we want to send our children to a university that supports deep learning and engagement with rigorous debates, one that supports free speech, peaceful protest, and the empowerment of students to find their own voice. While you are new to campus, we wish you would acknowledge Columbia’s rich history of student activism with pride—we believe that the exploration of activism is a fundamental part of the learning journey and development of young leaders.

That is why we write with our deep concern about your actions to silence student voices, abolish clubs, and stop peaceful protest.

It is with enormous trust and respect that we sent our children to Columbia—for many, their first time away from home. We trust Columbia to house, feed, and protect our children. Yet you have recently chosen to subject them to serious harm. We were appalled that rather than campus police, you enlisted the NYPD to enter campus to arrest peaceful protestors. These children are children, and they were peaceful, and yet, they were violently arrested by NYPD cops suited in full riot gear.

We are incredibly disappointed that you not only ordered the NYPD to violently arrest our children, but are also subjecting them to suspension and internal discipline. We sent our children to attend this university with trust that Columbia would enable growth, and open doors to bright future opportunities. Columbia boasts a history of student activism: it is ironic and abhorrent to internally punish your students and further dampen their futures. We ask you, President Shafik: were the forced NYPD arrests not enough?

We know and fear that this letter may go unnoticed or ignored because our families are not as powerful as Columbia’s large donors. We don’t have the wealth and position to threaten to withdraw a donation. But we hope you see that there is a silent majority of parents that oppose your actions and lack of leadership.

We collectively ask you to stand up for our children by immediately halting all proceedings against students, lifting suspensions, and removing NYPD from campus.

We wish you the strength and bravery to do what’s morally and intellectually right, and to stand on the right side of history.