The Columbia student activists had been in negotiations with the university administration late into the previous evening and were still facing a looming deadline - 48 hours to clear their encampment or the university might involve law enforcement.
But inside the Gaza Solidarity Encampment spirits were high - students clad in keffiyehs walked between tents, while their classmates sat outside the occupied lawn chatting, doing homework and enjoying the warm April sunshine.
"I have never felt such a community and such love at Columbia during my two years here," a sophomore political science major inside the encampment told HNGN.
"We feed each other. We pray with each other. We play music for each other, we dance with each other. We genuinely look out for strangers. And it's been really beautiful. Thus far, everything we do here is out of love. That's what I've noticed. That's amazing."
The student, speaking to HNGN under the condition of anonymity, said that she had been picketing outside the initial pro-Palestinian encampment, when university President Minouche Shafik asked the New York Police Department to enter the campus and arrest the student protesters.
After the university suspended the detained protestors, more than a hundred faculty members participated in a walk-out. Members of the Columbia Chapter of the American Association of University Professors are expected to move to censure Shafik, in response to her asking the New York Police Department to arrest the students.
Activists involved in the protests criticized the university for potentially endangering the student body through what they described as an "escalation of violence." Columbia University Apartheid Divest also drew comparisons to the 1970 Kent State massacre - in which four people were shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard, during an anti-Vietnam War protest.
"When our peers got arrested, people spontaneously jumped over to this lawn," the sophomore explained. "Luckily, I've been fortunate enough to go back to my dorm, get my things and bring supplies. But a lot of people have been staying here."
Khymani James, a student who was serving as a spokesperson for the group, was among those who had been sleeping in the encampment at night.
"There are some nights I sleep here, some nights when I don't. We have a rotating shift going on," James said. "We're all keeping each other warm. It's a lot of cold nights in April."
While the initial formation of the new encampment was spontaneous the students were quick to emphasize the level of organization that went into maintaining their protests.
"A lot of people are coming in and out during the day bringing supplies you know, bringing stuff for their peers," the sophomore political science major said. "We have their tents, we have plenty of blankets, portable chargers, [students] are able to use the Butler Library bathroom or any surrounding bathrooms as well."
Outside the encampment, a sign detailed community rules - no drugs or alcohol and no non-consensual touching among them. Ample supplies were visible throughout the tent-lined area and the students spoke about the high quality food they were eating everyday.
"People sort of just donate at random," James explained, but also emphasized that the students were trying to meet the needs of everyone inside the encampment. "One thing that I really appreciate is that we're very conscious of everyone's dietary restrictions. So we always have gluten free options. We always have vegan options. We always have Halal options."
Though the encampment is well-stocked with supplies and the students spoke about their love for the community, there was also clear skepticism towards outsiders. Two lines of people blocked unwanted guests from the entrance and many of the students avoided the press altogether.
The internal politics of the encampments have been subject to intense scrutiny. Many Jewish students have participated in the pro-Palestinian activism - with dozens of protestors holding Passover Seders inside the encampment. Others, however, allege that the protests have led to a surge of campus antisemitism.
In front of the encampment are rows missing persons posters with the faces of Israeli hostages. There's a banner that reads, "bring them home now" flanked by American and Israeli flags. The student activists repeatedly told reporters that they condemned antisemitism - saying that their issue was with the Israeli government and the university's response to their protests.
"I feel safe inside [the encampment]. I don't feel safe when I have to walk back home," the sophomore said. "And there's 50 plus police officers looking at me like I'm an animal."
