Antisemitism When Punished Is Costly, Ask Northwestern
When Northwestern University chose to disregard civility, fairness, and justice, they believed there wouldn’t be any consequences. However, they were mistaken. The federal government has reached a final agreement with the University, requiring the institution to pay $75 million and comply with anti-discrimination laws following investigations into alleged antisemitism.
The U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health, and the Department of Justice came to an agreement that mandates Northwestern:
“Safeguard its students, employees, and faculty from unlawful discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin, including race-based admissions practices and a hostile educational environment directed toward Jewish students.”
Under the agreement, Northwestern University will pay $75 million to the United States through 2028. The university will also comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, ensuring that it does not favor individuals based on race, color, or national origin in admissions, scholarships, hiring, or promotion.
The three-year agreement means the university will no longer follow an earlier deal with pro-Palestinian protesters, which included a commitment to dedicate space on campus for Muslim and North African students.
Additionally, Northwestern will establish clear policies for demonstrations and other forms of expressive activities, and it will implement mandatory antisemitism training for all students, faculty, and staff.
By agreeing to the settlement, federal agencies will conclude their investigations and designate Northwestern as eligible for future grants.
That’s a steep price to pay when the alternative was as simple as being fair and treating people the correct way. Now, future students and faculty who weren’t involved in the hatred will have to endure training for antisemitism, which may breed resentment toward the very people they’re trying to protect.
The university had previously been under investigation by the Trump administration, which resulted in the freezing of its federal funding due to antisemitism on campus. This loss of $790 million in grants led to a dispute that ultimately caused the resignation of university president Michael Schill in September.
Attorney General Pam Bondi put it this way:
“Today’s settlement marks another victory in the Trump Administration’s fight to ensure that American educational institutions protect Jewish students and put merit first. Institutions that accept federal funds are obligated to follow civil rights law. We are grateful to Northwestern for negotiating this historic deal.”
US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon added:
“The Northwestern agreement is a huge win for current and future Northwestern students, alumni, faculty, and for the future of American higher education. The deal cements policy changes that ‘will protect students and other members of the campus from harassment and discrimination,’ and it recommits the school to merit-based hiring and admissions. The reforms reflect bold leadership at Northwestern, and they are a roadmap for institutional leaders around the country that will help rebuild public trust in our colleges and universities. Congrats to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and all those involved in negotiating this landmark deal!”
I would love to believe that the university agreed to these changes for humanitarian reasons, but in a statement posted by interim president Henry Bienen, the reason seems purely financial.
“The cost of a legal fight was too high and the risks too grave. If our $790 million in federal research funding remained frozen, the freeze threatened to gut our labs, drive away faculty, and set back entire fields of discovery. Our overarching goal is to protect people and preserve the institution, and to enable life-saving research to continue.”
It seems to have slipped Bienen’s mind that the reason the funds were frozen in the first place was that Northwestern wasn’t protecting all of the people.
Northwestern University is the sixth institution to reach an agreement with the Trump administration to conclude investigations and secure federal funding. Its payout is only surpassed by Colombia’s $221 million. The Trump administration has continued to pressure schools such as Harvard and UCLA to enter into similar agreements.
Some critics of the agreements have likened them to shakedowns, questioned their effectiveness in combating antisemitism, and argued that they pose a threat to academic freedom, which is precisely the wrong way to look at it.
Whatever name you want to give them, it’s shameful that any punishment was necessary to convince so-called institutions of higher learning to do the right thing. Bienen’s comments seem to indicate they may fall in line, but for the wrong reasons, so how lasting the changes will be is yet to be seen.
