Once again, Southern schools get best marks in campus antisemitism scorecard

Anti-Israel students march over the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge after walking out during the OneMIT Commencement Ceremony at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 30, 2024. Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images.

This year’s Antisemitism on U.S. College and University Campuses Report found that 43 percent of Jewish students on the 25 campuses surveyed would not recommend their school to fellow Jewish students.

This is the third year that StopAntisemitism has evaluated 25 campuses around the country, interviewing Jewish students and assigning letter grades based on previous and current efforts to address campus antisemitism and protect their Jewish students.

Once again, top grades went to schools in the South, while schools with failing grades were in the north and west.

All four of the schools that received an A are in the South — Baylor, Clemson, Ole Miss and Elon. B grades went to Colby College in Maine and Washington University in St. Louis.

Not every Southern school scored high. Emory University, which has a high proportion of Jewish students, received a D.

Failing grades were given to Emerson, the New School, California-Davis, Oregon and Washington.

“These higher education institutions have utterly failed to protect its Jewish students, allowing harassment, exclusion and violent antisemitism to thrive unchecked,” said Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism.

“Despite reports of discrimination, death threats and open hostility, the administration has taken little to no meaningful action, abandoning Jewish students in their time of need. This negligence not only endangers Jewish students but also sets a dangerous precedent for intolerance on campus,” she said. “Parents, do not fund this complicity with your tuition dollars. Choose institutions that prioritize the safety and inclusion of all students—Jewish students deserve better.”

According to the survey, 55 percent of Jewish students nationally have personally been victims of antisemitism at their schools. Forty-three percent did not feel safe enough to report the incidents, and among those who did, 87 percent felt there was an inadequate investigation or response.

Two-thirds said Jews are excluded from campus Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, and a similar percentage said their university did not take sufficient action to protect Jewish students following October 7.

That is reflected in a 3,000 percent increase in tips and submissions the organization has reported receiving from Jewish students since Oct. 7.

While the presence of a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter correlates to a more hostile environment for Jewish students, the report cites AMCHA Initiative warnings about the newer Faculty for Justice in Palestine, which gives a more official veneer to anti-Israel activity.

According to the report, campuses with active FJP chapters have protests that last 2.5 times longer and amplify violence targeting Jews. Those campuses have 7.3 times more physical violence against Jewish students and 3.4 times more death threats.

Around the South

Baylor was one of only two schools where the administration responded to the group’s survey. Half of Jewish students say they have experienced antisemitism, and 62 percent feel safe expressing Jewish identity. Seventy-five percent would recommend the university.

One-third of Clemson students report experiencing antisemitism, but 83 percent feel safeguarded by the school and are comfortable expressing Jewish identity, and all respondents recommend Clemson. Police have threatened to arrest those who bring flags and demonstrations onto the campus.

Elon University in North Carolina has seen a surge of interest from Jewish students lately. Ninety-one percent of current Jewish students recommend it, and 77 percent feel safe expressing Jewish identity. There have been no notable incidents, and 31 percent report experiencing antisemitism. Just 22 percent say they do not feel welcome in many spaces on campus.

While Ole Miss halted anti-Israel protests within an hour, 80 percent of Jewish students report experiencing antisemitism and just 40 percent feel safe expressing Jewish identity. However, 80 percent feel they are being safeguarded by the school, and all of the respondents would recommend Ole Miss to Jewish students.

While 72 percent of Emory students would recommend the university, 75 percent feel they are unwelcome in many campus spaces, and 42 percent experienced antisemitism. In one incident in September, other students said it smelled like “pennies on the quad,” referring to Jewish students. No action was taken. There has been “death to Israel” graffiti and SJP takeovers with genocidal chants.

At Georgia State, 63 percent of students would recommend the school, which received a C. The university gave a 40 Under 40 award to an individual with a history of antisemitic posts, and 54 percent of students have experienced antisemitism.

The University of Houston received a D, and only 9 percent of Jewish students would recommend the school to others. There have been anti-Israel encampments, which were swiftly removed by police. Still, 63 percent of students have experienced antisemitism, 81 percent feel unwelcome in many campus spaces, and all of the respondents felt they are not being safeguarded by the school.

In previous years, Alabama, Texas and Tulane each received an A, North Carolina received a B, while Florida, Rice and Virginia received a C, and Duke and Vanderbilt received a D.

This year’s Fs

At Emerson, only 11 percent of Jewish students would recommend the school to others. Last May, the college president offered to pay the bail for anti-Israel protestors arrested at the school. The New School was the site of a building takeover by anti-Israel activists and faculty members, and 83 percent of Jewish students would not recommend it. Ninety-five percent of Jewish students report not feeling welcome in many spaces on campus, and 87 percent feel they are not being safeguarded by the school.

At Cal-Davis, 81 percent of Jewish students have experienced antisemitism, and 100 percent say they feel they are being blamed for Israel’s actions. Just 12 percent would recommend the school to others. A Jewish professor was forcibly prevented from entering campus, the student government passed BDS legislation, a professor threatened to hunt down Jewish journalists in their homes, another professor celebrated Oct. 7, and an “emergency teach-in” labeled Israel as racist, genocidal and even antisemitic.

Oregon has seen antisemitic vandalism across campus, along with violent riots led by Students for Justice in Palestine, though there is no campus chapter. Sixty percent of Jewish students do not feel safe expressing Jewish identity, and 55 percent would not recommend Oregon.

At Washington, the DEI guidelines actually include Jews, but grouped with Islamophobia. Jewish students were forced to evacuate a meeting discussing antisemitism because of violent protestors. Campus police were told to protect illegal anti-Israel encampments, Jewish students have been blocked from accessing campus, and the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion sent out an anti-Israel email to students on Oct. 25, accusing Jews of genocide and apartheid. University officials have reportedly “taken action” against the staff involved in the unsanctioned email.

The first year, seven schools received an F — Yale, Columbia, Swarthmore, California-Berkeley, City University of New York-Brooklyn, New York University and Southern California. Last year, there were five: Brown, Cornell, Pomona College, Vermont and Chicago.

Five past schools were re-evaluated, and none of the grades improved. Dartmouth went from an A to a B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology plunged from a C to an F, and Stanford went from a C to a D. Brown and Cornell were already at F and that has not changed.