A Columbia University graduate student became the subject of widespread discussion and criticism after a video in which she expressed concerns about the wellbeing of campus protesters went viral. The student, Johannah King-Slutzky, a Ph.D. candidate and instructor, was speaking to reporters about the necessity for Columbia to provide basic necessities like food and water to students who had occupied a campus building.
In the video, King-Slutzky stressed that the university had a responsibility to ensure that students, regardless of their political stance, should not face severe health risks such as dehydration or starvation. Her comments came amid a tense standoff at Hamilton Hall where students were demanding the university divest from certain investments related to Israel.
King-Slutzky’s remarks were met with a mix of ridicule and support online. Critics, including some academics and media personalities, mocked the students’ demands for food and water while engaging in a protest, suggesting that their revolutionary fervor should have included preparations for basic sustenance. Yale professor Nicholas Christakis commented on the nature of the demands as lacking serious argumentation, indicating a lack of rigorous educational challenge.
Conversely, others argued that the students’ demands highlighted the university’s obligation to care for its students under extraordinary circumstances. The discussion extended to social media platforms where figures like liberal commentator Joanne Carducci quipped that “every good revolutionary knows you have to pack snacks,” while conservative commentator Liz Wheeler labeled King-Slutzky as a communist expecting others to provide for her needs, referencing her academic focus on Marxism.
The incident underscored broader debates about student activism, university responsibilities, and the intersections of educational environments with political activism. As the situation at Columbia unfolded with police eventually clearing the occupied building, the university faced scrutiny over its handling of student protests and the balance between maintaining order and respecting student grievances.