University President Michael Schill shared updates on new efforts to fight antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hate in a Tuesday afternoon email to the Northwestern community.
The changes include updates to the Student Code of Conduct and Demonstration Policy as well as the implementation of a new “Display Policy,” details of which will be revealed in September, according to the email.
“Activities that lead to intimidation and impede an environment where dialogue and education can flourish cannot occur again,” the message reads. “Free expression and academic freedom are the lifeblood of our University, but they must not be used as an excuse for behavior that threatens the core of our mission — a search for enlightenment and knowledge.”
Schill wrote in the email that the University has been reviewing its policies and resources throughout the summer with the goal of preparing for the upcoming academic year.
New resources will include a new religious literacy program housed in the Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Office, unspecified “investments in public safety personnel and infrastructure,” hiring in the Office of Community Standards and expanded efforts to facilitate difficult conversations, including through the Kellogg School of Management’s new Center for Enlightened Disagreement.
In addition, the University will host “a set of lectures and panels on antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism as well as the history and politics of the conflict in the Middle East.” It will also mandate training on antisemitism and other forms of hate at Wildcat Welcome and in Fall Quarter for returning students. According to the email, the trainings will be available to staff and faculty, but the message did not specify whether they will be required.
The updates come as universities across the country prepare to welcome students back to campus following a contentious spring that saw thousands of students arrested for engaging in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on their campus, including the installation of sprawling encampments and the disruption of commencement ceremonies.
Schill came under fire from community stakeholders and external groups for his decision to negotiate with the student organizers of an encampment set up on Deering Meadow in May, de-escalating the demonstration in five days with an agreement to provide additional support to Palestinian, Muslim and Arab students. The agreement sparked calls for Schill’s resignation, lawsuits, the collapse of his Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate, and a request to appear before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in May.
At the hearing, Schill doubled down on his decision to negotiate with students despite lawmakers painting the agreement as a capitulation “to antisemitic, pro-terror encampment organizers.”
The University also attracted criticism this summer over the arrests of four NU employees for their involvement in the encampment, although the Cook County State’s Attorney dropped the charges after pressure from activists at NU and in the Chicago area.
“The effort to ensure that antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of identity- or religious-based hate do not take root on our campus reflects our commitment to the values of diversity, inclusion and tolerance and is in no way in tension with them,” Schill wrote in the Tuesday afternoon email. “Importantly, our values also include free expression and academic freedom.”
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