Columbia University student journalists had an up-close view for days of drama

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH
Associated Press

Student journalists on the Columbia University campus knew what was coming long before police with riots shields arrived to begin arresting the pro-Palestinian protesters who had occupied a building. They had watched the situation spiral as the protesters stood their ground, refusing to abandon Hamilton Hall. Several began sleeping on the floor in journalism classrooms or offices out of fear of missing something. But when a journalism professor began writing the phone number to call if they were arrested in permanent marker on their arms, that was the moment it became clear: They were capturing history.