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 12 months, the Illinois college stated 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 principles 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 stated a professor appointed to barter with scholar activists as a substitute suggested them “on tips on how to stress trustees to advance divestment.”
Over the previous 12 months, Northwestern has put new safeguards in place to raised defend Jewish college students, it stated 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 stated.
Northwestern additionally added a brand new intimidation commonplace to its conduct code in September, barring college students from subjecting folks or teams to “abusive, demeaning, harassing, humiliating, intimidating, threatening or violent conduct that considerably impacts the power of the particular person or group to be taught, work or dwell within the College atmosphere.”
Addressing protests, the college rolled out insurance policies limiting when and the way folks might show banners, distribute and dangle flyers, and erect buildings resembling tents on campus.
“Though, as a non-public establishment, Northwestern is just not legally sure by the First Modification, our new insurance policies are absolutely per Constitutional values as affordable time, place and method guidelines,” the report stated.
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 legislation, reaffirming an government order he issued throughout his first time period.
Nonetheless, the educational behind the definition stated he by no means supposed for his work to be utilized to speech on faculty campuses. And critics of its widespread adoption argue that among the definition’s examples of antisemitism — resembling saying “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and evaluating “modern Israeli coverage to that of the Nazis” — infringe on free speech.
This educational 12 months, 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 stated 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 12 months.
Steven Thrasher, an HIV/AIDS scholar and a journalism professor at Northwestern, stated 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 at the least three professors arrested for “obstructing a police officer.” Thrasher, in flip, alleged the campus police assaulted him.
The costs towards him have been in the end dropped, however Northwestern suspended Thrasher amid an investigation into his actions opened final 12 months. In January, Thrasher stated the disciplinary committee cleared him. Nonetheless, he stated 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 continues 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 training 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 steering referring to the operate” of its authorized clinic, in addition to all “hiring supplies and efficiency opinions” for one of many clinic administrators.
A spokesperson for Northwestern stated Tuesday its legislation college’s authorized clinic operates inside 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 legislation college.”
“Like legislation faculties throughout the nation, our authorized clinic supplies helpful 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 stated Tuesday. The spokesperson additionally referenced the legislation college’s latest partnership with the Brandeis Heart to deal with antisemitism instances in elementary and excessive faculties.