Report card gives “grim” picture of antisemitism on campus

Graffiti at the University of Wisconsin, which received a D on the antisemitism report card. Students for Justice in Palestine admitted to the graffiti; the university plans to have an “educational” session with SJP about its effect, but said there will be no other repercussions because it is free speech.

A national watchdog group, StopAntisemitism, released its first report card on antisemitism at 25 college campuses, and Tulane University received one of the only two grades of A.

Seven schools received an F — Yale, Columbia, Swarthmore, California-Berkeley, City University of New York-Brooklyn, New York University and Southern California.

The other A was for Brandeis, Pennsylvania received an A-.

Among Southern schools, North Carolina received a B, while Florida and Virginia received a C.

The grades were based on previous and current efforts in combatting antisemitism and protecting their Jewish students on campus.

StopAntisemitism said they created this report in response to an influx of requests from concerned parents of Jewish students who feel anxious about sending their children away to college and needed a credible resource.

The 25 schools were selected and classified into five categories: Ivy League, Liberal Arts, State Schools, and the Public and Private schools with the highest population of Jewish students. Florida and Tulane are among the highest populations for public and private schools, respectively.

“We are seeing pervasive antisemitism infecting higher education in America at an alarming rate,” stated StopAntisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez. “Colleges should be a place where students come to grow, learn, and push forward in life, instead campuses are becoming breeding grounds for Jew-hatred.”

With this report, “parents of Jewish students have a chance to see which colleges are not doing enough to protect the welfare of Jewish students. The results are grim and reflect a trend that desperately needs to change.”

They analyzed how schools report antisemitic incidents, reactions by college administrators when incidents occur and if there is a willingness to work with Jewish advocacy groups. Another factor is whether Jews are included in DEI policies, adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism — or conversely, passage of BDS resolutions or the presence of a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.

The report also measured whether Jewish students feel safe on campus or have to hide their identities, and whether they feel targeted by others for Israel’s actions.

Two surveys were conducted. One was a survey to university officials — of which only three responded. One university turned down responding, saying “this isn’t in our best interest.”

Students were also surveyed, with 55 percent of respondents answering “yes” when asked if they’ve experienced some form of antisemitism at their school, and only 28 percent of students surveyed report their school administration takes antisemitism and the protection of Jewish students seriously.

The report details the atmosphere at each university. For Tulane, the report found that Jewish students feel safe and comfortable expressing their identity. No BDS resolutions have been presented, but Jews are not included in DEI initiatives. Only three of the 25 universities do include Jews in those initiatives, but two of the three — Columbia and NYU — received an overall F.