The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Thursday published an index looking at antisemitism on university and college campuses, the Campus Anti-Semitism Report Card, which examines reported incidents, Jewish life on campuses, and the policies and administrative actions carried out by the universities to fight against antisemitism and protect Jewish students. The index indicates that most American academic institutions still do not take basic action to protect Jewish students.
The index surveyed 85 institutions of higher learning and assigned grades from A to F (A = very good, F = fail), to give campus leaders, parents, students, alumni and other stakeholders a mechanism for assessing the state of antisemitism in the institutions and how they respond to it. Only two institutions received an A (very good) grade – Brandeis University in Massachusetts and Elon University in North Carolina. Some 17 institutions were graded B (good), 29 institutions were graded C (almost good), 26 institutions were graded D (adequate), and 14 institutions were graded F (failed).
Unsurprisingly given its conduct since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, Harvard University received a failing F grade - as did the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tufts University and Michigan State University, among others.
Many academic institutions across the U.S. are failing to address antisemitism. The University of Hartford, Florida International University, Tulane University and the University of Colorado Boulder all received a grade of C. Among the institutions that received a grade of D (adequate) are Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio University, University of California at Berkeley and Rice University in Houston, Texas.
The index also provides positive examples from the better-performing institutions. For example, Brandeis University was the first private university to revoke official recognition of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter that operated there, due to the organization's activities on campus following the October 7 attacks. The university even clarified that antisemitic expressions such as "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" are hate speech and against the principles of the institution.
Elon University, which also received an A grade, provided opportunities for the community to learn more about the October 7 attack and encouraged opportunities for dialogue, including an event titled "Contexts of Conflict: Conversations on the Middle East," which was attended by more than 200 students, faculty and staff.
At the University of Miami, University President Julio Frenk released a statement of support for Israel on October 9, 2023. The university has recently opposed calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel and has publicly condemned antisemitic incidents. University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines issued two statements after October 7; The first immediately condemned the Hamas attack, and the second sought to ensure the safety of Jewish students on campus and condemn acts of discrimination and any expression of hatred. The academic institution also increased security measures on its campuses and established a task force to provide recommendations on a strategy to deal with antisemitism.
The University of Texas at Austin has repeatedly spoken out against antisemitic vandalism on campus. Beyond that, the university issued a harsh statement following the events of October 7. At Washington University in St. Louis, Chancellor Andrew Martin issued a statement condemning antisemitism and wrote that he was "deeply disturbed to learn that during campus gatherings last week antisemitic expressions were written on signs." The university required the campus community to attend education classes about antisemitism.
"Every campus should receive an A grade - this is not grade inflation, this is the minimum that every population group on every campus expects," said Jonathan Greenblatt, national director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, in a statement. “Like all students, Jewish students deserve to feel safe and supported on campus.”
"They deserve a learning environment free from antisemitism and hate. But that hasn’t been the experience with antisemitism running rampant on campus since even before October 7. At a time when antisemitic incidents on campus are at historic levels, administrators need to adopt new policies to address this scourge and have the willingness to enforce existing codes of conduct to ensure all students are safe,” he said.
“As I travel the country, I’m constantly hearing from Jewish families agonizing over where they will send their kids to college,” said Greenblatt. “School leadership must make serious changes to support Jewish communities on their campus; we expect nothing less. Along with the Report Card, we’re providing guidelines and resources for how schools can improve campus climate and therefore improve their grades, and we look forward to working with them and other partners to achieve that reasonable goal.”
'It's time to act'
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.
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President of MIT Sally Kornbluth testifies in the U.S. House of Representatives
(Photo: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
The 85 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 84% 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.
The institutions selected reflect the leading national and liberal institutions, as well as the institutions with the highest proportion of Jewish students. The Anti-Defamation League provided each institution with a questionnaire in which it was required to report on its own which of the criteria were met and which of them it undertakes to meet in 2024. In the end, more than 84% of the campuses tested answered the questionnaire. The Anti-Defamation League also conducted research to assess which of the criteria each campus met and to gather additional information, such as ongoing TITLE VI investigations at each campus.
“It’s time for campuses to step up and protect our children from the hate and antisemitism that has proliferated on college campuses across the country this year,” said Emma Law-Oppman of Mothers Against College Antisemitism. “It is our hope that ADL’s Report Card serves as a much-needed wakeup call for schools to prioritize creating a safe and welcoming environment for all students. At M.A.C.A., our members are fully prepared and energized to demand a massive change from school leadership across the United States.”
"This is the time for every campus to act to protect our children from the hate and anti-Semitism that is spreading rapidly on campuses across the United States this year," said Emma Lau-Offman of Mothers Against Anti-Semitism in Universities and Colleges. Institutions need to wake up, so that they prioritize creating a safe and inviting environment for all students. The mothers who are members of our organization are demanding a massive change from the leadership of universities and colleges all over the United States."
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 allowing 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%) 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.