Mayor Mamdani urges Columbia to reopen

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants Columbia University to reopen its gates to the public. The city's legal department communicated this position in a letter to the New York Supreme Court last week.

Access to the university’s Morningside Heights campus has been largely restricted since October 2023. The limitations began after pro-Palestinian protests erupted over Israel’s war on Gaza. The 116th Street gates have been locked since students erected encampments on campus in the spring of 2024.

The closure has angered local businesses and residents. They sued the university in 2025, arguing officials breached a 1953 agreement. That agreement created an easement allowing the public to cut through the campus instead of walking around six city blocks.

A shift in city policy

Under former mayor Eric Adams, the city took no official position on the campus closure. The new letter from Mayor Mamdani’s legal department notes "a change in position in this matter." It states, "The City supports reopening of the walkway through the Columbia University Campus to the public."

Mamdani’s stance has garnered support from local political figures. City Council majority leader Shaun Abreu, who represents the neighborhood, praised the move. He said the closed gates represent a deep betrayal of the spirit of openness expected from institutions of higher learning.

Columbia's control and consideration

As a private institution, Columbia University retains total control over the decision. The student-run Columbia Spectator reported that the university's newly installed president, Jennifer Mnookin, has indicated she will consider it.

Mnookin addressed the issue at a Harlem community breakfast over the summer. She stated she could not open the gates "right this minute" but is "committed to examining it."

"I am committed to understanding that it is a loss for our community that we aren’t open right now on the Morningside campus," Mnookin said. She added the university would work to understand the issue and find ways of welcoming the community and granting access to its campuses.

The legal and community pressure continues to mount on the Ivy League institution to restore the pedestrian pathway it has controlled for years.