30 No. 74 JUSTICE Occidental College (“OC”) also resolved a Title VI complaint filed with the OCR – this one by the American Defamation League (“ADL”) and the Brandeis Center – after Jewish students were excluded from schoolsponsored employment opportunities due to severe and pervasive antisemitism culminating in harassment and the inability to move freely on campus, in their dorms, in the dining hall, and elsewhere. Pursuant to the settlement, OC agreed to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism when reviewing complaints of antisemitic harassment and discrimination and agreed to update its Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy to include prohibited conduct that could amount to disparate treatment based on shared ancestry, like Jewish identity. OC agreed to organize campus-wide Title VI trainings for faculty and students, which include specific sessions on antisemitic harassment. In addition, OC agreed to incorporate the following changes on its campus: (a) revise its time, place and manner restrictions for on-campus demonstrations; (b) conduct, and publish on the OC website, two climate surveys during the 202425 academic year to evaluate whether its students have experienced antisemitism; (c) provide expert training for OC’s Civil Rights & Title IX Office staff and members of the Bias Education and Support Team regarding Jewish identity and the various forms of antisemitism that are employed to discriminate against Jewish and Israeli students; (d) appoint an Associate Director of Jewish Student Life; (e) form a Presidential Advisory Group, which will produce a report with recommendations for programs to build a foundation for inter-group dialogue; and (f) offer lectures and workshops related to the historical antecedents and modern manifestations of antisemitism and the connections between Jewish identity, Israel, and Zionism.15 The OC settlement terms demonstrate the school’s commitment to improving the on-campus experience for its Jewish and Israeli students and to making its campus a more inclusive place. Columbia University is currently facing several antisemitism lawsuits. In two pending cases – Mackenzie Forrest v. The Trustees of Columbia University and Students Against Antisemitism, Inc. v. The Trustees of Columbia University and Barnard College – plaintiffs allege that Columbia and its affiliated women’s college, Barnard, not only allowed antisemitic encampments on campus but refused to provide academic accommodations for students with concerns about their safety amid the on-campus encampments.16 In a third case, C.S. v. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia settled a class action lawsuit brought by an anonymous student, “C.S.,” for failing to provide students with a “safe, in-person learning environment.”17 In the June 2024 settlement, Columbia agreed to (a) appoint and hire a “Safe Passage Liaison” to provide a 24/7 Public Safety escort program; (b) provide a process for students to retrieve their belongings on campus during periods when campus access is restricted; (c) an appeals process for students who were unable to complete coursework or exams due to campus demonstrations; and (d) a way for the University’s Chief Operating Officer to coordinate with the “Safe Passage Liaison” and “campus stakeholders” to make alternative entrance and exit routes available for students escorted to and from campus.18 In a monumental decision against Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (“Cooper Union”) issued February 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge John Cronan denied Cooper Union’s motion to dismiss, reasoning that the school did not do enough to help its Jewish students who were forced to lock themselves in the campus library to seek refuge and protection from demonstrators who 14. “Brown reaches agreement that resolves OCR complaint alleging antisemitism,” BROWN UNIVERSITY (July 8, 2024), available at https://www.brown.edu/news/202407-08/resolution-agreement; Johanna Alonso, “Brown Reaches Settlement on Title VI Complaints,” INSIDE HIGHER ED (July 9, 2024), available at https://www. insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/07/09/brownreaches-settlement-title-vi-complaints 15. Press Release, “ADL and the Brandeis Center Settle Title VI Complaint after Occidental College Agrees to Sweeping Reforms to Prevent Campus Antisemitism,” ADL (Nov. 26, 2024), available at https://www.adl.org/ resources/press-release/adl-and-brandeis-center-settletitle-vi-complaint-after-occidental-college 16. Mackenzie Forrest v. The Trustees of Columbia University, No. 1:24-cv-01034 (S.D.N.Y. 2024); Students Against Antisemitism, Inc. v. The Trustees of Columbia University and Barnard College, No. 1:24-cv-01306 (S.D.N.Y. filed Feb. 21, 2024). 17. C.S. v. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, No. 1:24-cv-03232 (S.D.N.Y. 2024). 18. Surina Venkat, “Columbia reaches settlement in class action suit alleging hostile environment for Jewish students, establishes additional security measures,” COLUMBIA SPECTATOR (June 7, 2024), available at https:// www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/06/06/columbiareaches-settlement-in-class-action-suit-alleging-hostileenvironment-for-jewish-students-establishes-additionalsecurity-measures/
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