New Report Card shows most schools still not doing the basics to protect Jewish students
New York, NY, April 11, 2024 … Today, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) released its first Campus Antisemitism Report Card assessing incidents, Jewish life on campus and university policies and administrative actions related to combatting antisemitism and protecting Jewish students.
The Report Card reviewed 85 schools, including 16 in New York/New Jersey, and assigned grades from A through F, to give campus leadership, parents, students, alumni and stakeholders a mechanism to evaluate the state of antisemitism on campus and how schools across the country are responding. Across the country, two schools received an “A,” 17 schools received a “B,” 29 schools received a “C,” 24 schools received a “D,” and 13 schools received an “F” grade.
“We are deeply concerned by the troubling findings of ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card, but we are here as a resource to support the campuses and students in our region,” said Scott Richman, ADL New York/New Jersey Regional Director. “As we witness historic levels of antisemitism on college campuses, ADL is offering this new tool to help students and parents make informed decisions and help school leadership create a safe environment for Jewish students and all students.”
The Report Card reveals that colleges must develop strong policies and procedures to address conduct that creates a hostile environment, while also swiftly enforcing those policies fairly when students, staff or faculty violate them.
Schools in our region include:
- Barnard College (D)
- Binghamton University (B)
- CUNY Brooklyn College (B)
- Columbia University (D)
- Cornell University (D)
- Hofstra University (B)
- Ithaca College (B)
- New York University (C)
- Queens College, CUNY (C)
- SUNY New Paltz (D)
- SUNY Purchase (F)
- SUNY Rockland Community College (F)
- Syracuse University (C)
- University at Albany, SUNY (C)
- Princeton University (F)
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick (D)
ADL consulted with a panel of experts that included Rabbi Kevin Fried, Managing Director at the Jewish Graduate Student Initiative, Sally Mason, former president of the University of Iowa and Dr. William “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor Emeritus of the University System of Maryland, among others, talked with campus administrators, and also looked at what the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism recommended to draw up a list of 21 criteria for assessment, categorized into: administrative action and policies, incidents on campus, and Jewish student life on campus.
The 86 schools selected reflect the top national and liberal arts schools, as well as schools with the highest proportion of Jewish students. ADL provided each school with a questionnaire to self-report which of the criteria they fulfilled or pledged to fulfill in 2024, ultimately receiving input from over 80% of assessed campuses. ADL also conducted research to assess which of the criteria each campus fulfilled and to gather additional information, such as pending Title VI investigations, on each campus.
In a collaborative statement from the Jewish and Jewish Heritage Greek organizations: Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Delta Tau, and Zeta Beta Tau, Bonnie Wunsch, Executive Director of Alpha Epsilon Phi said, “We welcome ADL’s new Campus Report Card to assess the state of antisemitism on campus and policies to combat it. This tool provides critical information to answer the questions we are regularly fielding from students and their families. Not only is the moment for this now, but ADL is the right organization to do it.”
The Report Card website has a comparison tool to allow users to select up to three colleges for side-by-side comparison, enabling them to simultaneously view the grades and the fulfillment of criteria for all three.
The Report Card is part of ADL’s recently launched Not On My Campus campaign, calling on U.S. colleges and universities to commit to no tolerance for antisemitism. This campaign is a direct response to the significant rise of antisemitic incidents since October 7, with less than half (46 percent) of Jewish students surveyed feeling physically safe on their campuses during the fall semester of the 2023-2024 school year. The Not On My Campus website also provides online tools and resources for students, parents, and alumni, empowering them to demand more from college leadership, and building collective action to hold schools accountable for their inaction.
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.
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