Northwestern announced an 88% decrease in reports of discrimination or harassment against Jewish students between November 2023 and November 2024 in a progress report on the University’s efforts to combat antisemitism released Monday.
The report comes as the Trump administration intensifies its pressure on universities, including NU, to crack down on antisemitism or face funding cuts.
While the report does not establish any new initiatives, it highlights the University’s measures to fight antisemitism since University President Michael Schill pledged to do so in his May 2024 congressional testimony.
“Doing all I can to protect our Jewish students from antisemitism is among the most basic of my responsibilities as Northwestern’s president,” Schill said in the report. “Where there is conduct that threatens the health, safety and well-being of individual members of the Northwestern community, we must act to protect them and use our disciplinary process to do so.”
The report claims the University was “not prepared for the antisemitism that occurred last year,” which led administrators to revise key policies to prevent further antisemitism.
Since last April’s pro-Palestinian encampment and Schill’s testimony, NU brought charges against four protesters at the encampment; updated its Student Code of Conduct and Demonstration Policy; implemented new antisemitism and bias trainings; and took disciplinary action against protesters at The Rock, among other measures.
NU has also hired additional police officers and streamlined the process to investigate antisemitism complaints, according to the report.
“Northwestern is committed to enforcing our rules transparently,” the report reads in part. “Importantly, enforcement fits the nature and severity of the violation.”
The report claims that NU has strictly enforced its new policies. The University announced in the report that it has resolved 15 cases related to student activism in the current academic year. NU found 11 students in violation of its new Demonstration and Display Policies. These students faced penalties including warnings and disciplinary probation, the report states. One staff member was terminated for “violations of the staff policies.”
As the Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism plans to visit NU to assess its compliance with federal policies, the report claims the University’s policy changes and prioritization of fighting antisemitism have created a safer learning environment for Jewish students.
“We will not let down our guard and will remain vigilant in the future to continue the fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate,” Schill said in the report.
Correction: A previous version of this article misrepresented the nature of the 15 resolved student activism cases NU announced in the report. The Daily regrets this error.
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