Barnard College, The New School and Columbia graded poorly over combating antisemitism: Anti-Defamation League

The New School, Barnard College and Columbia University are doing a poor job of confronting antisemitism on campus, according to a stinging report card issued Monday by a Jewish civil rights group.

The New School was one of 13 schools that received a failing F grade while Barnard College’s rating dropped from a C to a D in the Anti-Defamation League’s report card after an unruly mob of masked anti-Israel protesters took over the college administration building last week and assaulted a security guard.

The New School’s report card cited a series of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hostilities on the Greenwich Village campus and noted the progressive school is the subject of a US Department of Education civil rights investigation.

“In May 2024, students and faculty occupied the Welcome Center in Manhattan to urge the board of trustees to consider divestment from companies associated with Israel. The building occupation followed the establishment of two New School anti-Israel encampments, one led by students and one by faculty,” the school’s report card said.

At an encampment that was erected from April to May, protesters displayed messages that included: “Resist colonial power by any means necessary,” “Zionist donors and trustees, hands off our universities” and “The future is anti-Zionist.”

At least one sign included an inverted red triangle, a symbol popularized by the antisemitic US-designated terror group Hamas to mark targets, the ADL said.

In August 2024, the student senate voted to cease its funding to student organizations until The New School divests from supporting the US-Israeli conflict against Gaza. The student senate resumed funding the campus groups in November.

In a separate yet related protest, members of the campus Students for Justice in Palestine chapter disrupted President Joel Towers’ address in September 2024, demanding divestment from Israel.

The New School — which in 1933 was home to the University in Exile for European scholars threatened by Nazism — didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, the ADL planned to issue a C grade to Barnard, until the lawless activity and the weak response by the college’s administration.

“The reassessment occurred as ADL believes that the College should have enforced their policies more robustly rather than attempting to negotiate with them [the protesters],” an ADL spokesman said.

“The College was already on the cusp of a D, so even a small reassessment was enough to make a difference.”

A spokesperson for Barnard said the university takes allegations of antisemitism seriously and has even expelled students over it.

“Barnard recently received a commendation from the ADL for our ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism and regularly consults with the ADL, including about last week’s protest at Milbank Hall, which took place following our decision to expel two students for disrupting last month’s History of Modern Israel course at Columbia University,” said Robin Levine, vice president for strategic communications.

“Antisemitism, harassment, and discrimination of any kind are antithetical to our values, and violate our community code of conduct. When incidents violate our policies, we take strong and appropriate action, including expulsion when necessary,” Levine added. “All reports of antisemitism are reviewed by our nondiscrimination office, and we remain committed to ensuring our campus is a place where all students feel safe and respected.”

The report also cited issues with Columbia which earned a D rating.

In mid-April 2024, anti-Israel protestors at Columbia University set up an encampment that lasted
almost three weeks and set the “trend for encampments nationwide”, the report card said.

Protestors took over the Hamilton Hall building on campus, breaking windows and ignoring the
deadline to dismantle the encampment, the ADL said..

In September 2024, swastikas were spray-painted on a dumpster on campus. and fliers
were posted on campus that featured images of assault weapons that read: “Revolution Until Victory” and “Fatah, Palestine Liberation Movement.”

An inverted red triangle — a Hamas symbol — was drawn over a fake “Wanted” poster depicting a Columbia University trustee at Barnard College.

Columbia, in a statement, said it has taken action to crack down on disruptions and to protect its Jewish students.

“We are proud of Columbia’s vibrant Jewish community with a thriving Hillel, Chabad, and many Jewish student organizations. The University will continue to work alongside these organizations to support their community building and respond to students’ concerns,” a Columbia spokesperson said in a statement.

Since assuming her role in August, Interim Columbia president Katrina Armstrong has undertaken a “multipronged approach” towards combatting antisemitism, including increasing clarity around university rules through the appointment of a new rules administrator, establishing a centralized Office of Institutional Equity to address all reports of discrimination, harassment and antisemitism, strengthening the university’s public safety team, and “swiftly acting to condemn and investigate recent incidents of vandalism, antisemitic imagery, and classroom disruption,” the spokesperson said.

“Columbia does not tolerate antisemitism, discrimination, harassment, or intimidation of any kind against members of our community. The University is committed to fulfilling its academic mission and ensuring that all students feel welcome and have access to the exceptional education Columbia provides without discrimination,” the statement said.

Overall, only a fraction of US universities are doing enough to fight antisemitism on campus and protect Jewish students, the report card of the policies and actions of 135 colleges found. Last year’s report card reviewed 85 schools.

Just eight colleges of the 135 colleges reviewed by the Anti-Defamation League received an “A” rating, including CUNY’s Brooklyn College and Queens College.

“It comes as no surprise that Queens College is recognized nationally for its outstanding and ongoing work in combating antisemitism and all forms of bigotry. We welcome and strongly support the best education possible for Jewish students and those of every faith and will not tolerate discrimination at our campus,” said Queens College president Frank H. Wu.

Still, more work needs to be done, the ADL said.

“I said it last year and I’ll say it again: every single campus should get an ‘A’, this isn’t a high bar – this should be the standard,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt

While progress has been made “Jewish students still do not feel safe or included on too many campuses,” he said.

Other Ivy League schools got less than stellar grades: Dartmouth led the pack with a B, followed by Harvard, Penn, Cornell and Brown with a C and Princeton and Yale with a D.

About 30% of the college’s survey received a D or F.

But the ADL noted that 46 percent of previously graded schools improved, while only 9 percent declined.

More than 50 percent of the schools assessed in 2024 have enacted major policy changes in
response to rising campus antisemitism, the ADL said.

Meanwhile, almost all schools have tightened up their policies to address unruly demonstrations.

Universities that strengthened and consistently enforced policies, mandated antisemitism education,
and updated bias reporting improved the most, the analysis said.

“The improvement on campus is largely due to new administrative initiatives implemented in
response to the campus antisemitism crisis,” said Shira Goodman, ADL’s vice president of advocacy.

“We’re glad that improving the campus climate for Jewish students was a priority for many of these schools, and we hope all colleges and universities understand the importance of developing and enforcing strong policies and procedures to create a safe and welcoming environment for Jewish students and all students.”

Other local schools got a solid “B” grade including NYU, Hofstra, SUNY Stony Brook, and Binghamton.

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