The Trump administration has ushered in an era of upheaval in higher education, and Northwestern is one of several universities undergoing several federal investigations.
These federal investigations are part of a governmental effort to combat what the Department of Education called “widespread antisemitic harassment” on campuses nationwide. The investigations allege violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
NU has been the subject of government scrutiny since last April’s pro-Palestinian encampment. In May, University President Michael Schill testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce regarding allegations of campus antisemitism.
“The common theme with all of the universities who are being investigated in some way is that there has been, at some point, inadequate responses to antisemitism by campuses that have helped create hostile and dangerous environments for Jewish students,” said David Goldenberg, the Midwest regional director of the Anti-Defamation League. “Some schools have not responded at all. Others, like Northwestern, have taken some significant steps to get better.”
The University’s response
In response to the investigations and allegations of antisemitism on campus, Schill released a progress report on March 31 outlining the University’s approaches to taking “decisive actions to combat antisemitism.”
The report said the University was “not prepared for the antisemitism that occurred last year,” which prompted administrators to revise key policies to prevent further antisemitism.
“To Northwestern’s credit, Northwestern has implemented a significant number of new policies and standards to respond to antisemitism on campus and other forms of hate that did not exist before the encampment,” Goldenberg said.
Goldenberg said he met with Schill three times in the last four months and believes the administration’s report was a sign of progress to close policy gaps. However, he acknowledged there is still more to be done.
On Friday, the ADL revised its Campus Antisemitism Report Card grade for NU from a “D” to a “C,” based on new information that the university provided and new policies that they put in place, Goldberg said.
Funding freeze
NU is on a list of 60 universities that received a letter from the Department of Education in March warning them of potential consequences if it does not “fulfill (its) obligations” under Title VI to protect Jewish students on campus.
The Trump administration has since announced funding freezes for a handful of the 60 universities that received the letter. Topping the list are Cornell University, with $1 billion frozen, and NU, with $790 million in funds frozen. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson cited federal antisemitism investigations into the University as a reason for the freeze.
“When the administration comes in and they say ‘We’re going to pull funds,’ it’s because they are not complying with Title VI: they are allowing a hostile environment, or the discrimination of Jewish and/or Israeli students,” said Deena Margolies (Pritzker ’01), a staff attorney at the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.
The Brandeis Center has been actively engaged in the recent investigations into campus antisemitism by filing complaints and lawsuits against the targeted universities, including Harvard University, Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley, alleging inadequate responses to antisemitic incidents.
The center expressed its support for universities implementing new policies, such as adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.
Campus developments
Over the past school year, NU has brought charges against four protesters at last spring’s encampment, updated its Student Code of Conduct and Demonstration Policy and implemented new antisemitism and anti-bias trainings and taken disciplinary action against protesters at The Rock, among other measures.
History Prof. and Director of NU’s Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies David Shyovitz said the progress report released by President Schill outlined some, but not all, of the steps that have been taken.
“I assume that is both a reflection of their desire to inform everybody about the steps that they’re taking, but also to position Northwestern as already working on this issue on their own, maybe without requiring the kind of intervention of the government that other universities are seeing,” said Shyovitz.
Shyovitz also emphasized that the investigation has put a spotlight on the work he and other professors are doing at NU, and he said he wants professors to use their academic expertise to guide conversations around antisemitism on campus.
While the ADL commended the steps Northwestern has taken, Margolies expressed concern about the current campus climate.
“As a Northwestern alum, it saddens me to see antisemitism on campus because when I was at the law school, it wasn’t something I had to deal with or experience,” she said. “I hope that going forward, the campus environment improves for Jewish students.”
Email: c.labgold-carroll@dailynorthwestern.com
X: @caylalc
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