Report: American colleges failing to fight antisemitism on campus

American colleges and universities are failing to fight antisemitism on campus, according to a new report published by the Anti-Defamation League.

ADL’s first Campus Antisemitism Report Card found that antisemitism is “running rampant on campus since even before October 7,” the day the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel.

The Report Card reviewed 85 American higher education institutions assessing incidents, Jewish life on campus and university policies and administrative actions related to combating antisemitism and protecting Jewish students. The schools were selected based on specific criteria: their ranking among the top national and liberal arts schools and having the highest proportion of Jewish students.

Each school was provided with a questionnaire to self-report which criteria they fulfilled or pledged to fulfill. About 84% responded, according to the report. ADL also conducted research to determine how campuses were meeting criteria and to learn of any Title VI investigations or other issues on campus.

It then assigned A-F grades to evaluate the state of antisemitism on campuses and how administrations were responding. Of the 85 evaluated, only two received A grades; 17 received Bs, 29 received Cs, 24 received Ds, and 13 received Fs.

Brandeis University in Massachusetts and Elon University in North Carolina were the only two that received A grades. Among the schools highlighted for receiving B grades are the University of Miami, University of Maryland, University of Texas-Austin, and Washington University in St. Louis.

ADL highlighted C-rated schools (University of Hartford, Indiana University and University of Colorado at Boulder) and D-rated schools (Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State University, University of California at Berkeley, and Rice University) as needing significant improvement.

ADL identified the worst offenders with F grades as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Tufts University and University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

“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,” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO, said.

The majority of California schools evaluated had failing grades, with Stanford University receiving an F, and the University of California and its multiple branches receiving D grades.

Illinois schools were also among the worst, with the University of Chicago receiving an F and Northwestern and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign receiving D grades.

In contrast, all Florida schools had B grades. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S> Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, led the charge last year calling on President Joe Biden to revoke visas and immediately remove foreign nationals from the U.S. who support Hamas.

Senate Democrats blocked any such efforts; roughly 100 Democratic members of Congress called on him to grant Temporary Protected Status and/or authorize Deferred Enforced Departure for Palestinian noncitizens living in the U.S.

Despite Palestinians and pro-Hamas supporters in the U.S. continuing to call for the death of Jews, annihilating Israel, and committing antisemitic attacks across the country, Biden expanded measures to prevent “certain Palestinians” from being deported.

ADL’s Report Card is part of a recently launched Not On My Campus campaign calling on American colleges and universities to commit to a no tolerance policy for antisemitism.

Antisemitic attacks in the name of “free Palestine” increased by 360% nationwide after Oct. 7, including spiking on U.S. college campuses, The Center Square reported.

According to an ADL/College Pulse survey, only 45.5% of Jewish students said they felt physically safe on their campuses during the fall semester last year; 73% said they’d experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.

This is after antisemitic incidents were already at historic highs in the U.S., primarily in the southwest, The Center Square reported last fall.