Northwestern College on Monday touted an 88% year-over-year decline in complaints of antisemitic discrimination or harassment as of November 2024.
Over the previous yr, the Illinois college mentioned it has intensified its efforts to crack down on antisemitism. Officers now require all college students and workers to take antisemitism coaching, and so they tightened the foundations round demonstrations and elevated the police presence on campus.
The announcement comes lower than a month after the U.S. Division of Schooling named Northwestern amongst 60 schools going through federal probes over allegations of antisemitism. Nonetheless, the scrutiny into Northwestern predates President Donald Trump’s second election.
Final Could, the Republican-led Home Committee on Schooling and Workforce opened an investigation into the college’s dealing with of pro-Palestinian protests and instances of alleged antisemitism. And in October, the committee accused Northwestern and 10 different high-profile schools of failing to guard Jewish college students from antisemitism.
The committee’s report alleged that the college made undue concessions to pro-Palestinian protesters who had arrange an encampment on campus throughout the spring time period. In a single instance, it mentioned a professor appointed to barter with pupil activists as a substitute suggested them “on tips on how to strain trustees to advance divestment.”
Over the previous yr, Northwestern has put new safeguards in place to higher defend Jewish college students, it mentioned Monday.
The college’s new antisemitism trainings, created in collaboration with the pro-Israel Jewish United Fund, “will proceed as a everlasting a part of our broader coaching in civil rights and Title IX,” the report mentioned.
Northwestern additionally added a brand new intimidation customary to its conduct code in September, barring college students from subjecting folks or teams to “abusive, demeaning, harassing, humiliating, intimidating, threatening or violent habits that considerably impacts the power of the particular person or group to study, work or stay within the College surroundings.”
Addressing protests, the college rolled out insurance policies limiting when and the way folks may show banners, distribute and dangle flyers, and erect buildings corresponding to tents on campus.
“Though, as a non-public establishment, Northwestern shouldn’t be legally sure by the First Modification, our new insurance policies are absolutely per Constitutional values as cheap time, place and method guidelines,” the report mentioned.
In February, Northwestern additionally adopted the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. The month prior, Trump directed federal businesses to weigh the definition when imposing civil rights regulation, reaffirming an govt order he issued throughout his first time period.
Nonetheless, the educational behind the definition mentioned he by no means meant for his work to be utilized to speech on school campuses. And critics of its widespread adoption argue that among the definition’s examples of antisemitism — corresponding to saying “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and evaluating “up to date Israeli coverage to that of the Nazis” — infringe on free speech.
This educational yr, Northwestern sanctioned 11 college students for violating its demonstration and show insurance policies, with punishments starting from warnings to multi-month disciplinary probation.
The college additionally mentioned it terminated a workers member for worker coverage violations. On Tuesday, a college spokesperson declined to elaborate, saying “per College coverage, we don’t touch upon personnel issues.”
‘A political hit job’
Northwestern’s replace comes as considered one of its professor faces termination following his involvement in a pro-Palestinian protest final yr.
Steven Thrasher, an HIV/AIDS scholar and a journalism professor at Northwestern, mentioned late final month that the college had denied his bid for tenure and terminated him efficient August 2026.
A Northwestern spokesperson declined to remark Tuesday, citing college coverage.
Thrasher, who holds a social justice reporting chair, participated in a student-led pro-Palestinian demonstration on Northwestern’s campus in April 2024. At that occasion, he was considered one of not less than three professors arrested for “obstructing a police officer.” Thrasher, in flip, alleged the campus police assaulted him.
The costs towards him have been finally dropped, however Northwestern suspended Thrasher amid an investigation into his actions opened final yr. In January, Thrasher mentioned the disciplinary committee cleared him. Nonetheless, he mentioned the administration had opened a second investigation.
Thrasher asserted that his termination and tenure rejection are “a political hit job over my help for Palestine” and unrelated to the standard of his work.
Thrasher remains to be employed on the college. However college students registered for his class obtained a last-minute discover this week saying it was canceled, the Evanston Roundtable reported.
On Sunday, over 100 present and former Northwestern college students revealed an open letter condemning Thrasher’s looming termination.
“We see this transfer as a disturbing concession to rising authoritarian forces that actively pose an existential risk,” they wrote within the Each day Northwestern.
Mounting scrutiny from legislators
Together with the Trump administration’s investigation, Northwestern is going through intensifying scrutiny from Home lawmakers.
On Thursday, Republican leaders of the Home schooling committee despatched a letter to Northwestern leaders accusing the college of supporting “unlawful, antisemitic conduct” by representing pro-Palestinian protesters and demonstrators. The letter additionally raised broader considerations with the clinics, saying Northwestern Regulation is funding “left-wing advocacy with its institutional assets.”
Lawmakers gave Northwestern till April 10 to show over “all written insurance policies, procedures, and steerage referring to the perform” of its authorized clinic, in addition to all “hiring supplies and efficiency critiques” for one of many clinic administrators.
A spokesperson for Northwestern mentioned Tuesday its regulation faculty’s authorized clinic operates throughout the requirements set by the American Bar Affiliation, and that the instances it takes “don’t essentially mirror the views of the college or its regulation faculty.”
“Like regulation colleges throughout the nation, our authorized clinic gives precious studying expertise for college students and accepts instances ranging throughout the political and authorized spectrum” from pro-Palestinian demonstrators to Jan. 6 protesters, the spokesperson mentioned Tuesday. The spokesperson additionally referenced the regulation faculty’s latest partnership with the Brandeis Heart to deal with antisemitism instances in elementary and excessive colleges.
