Barnard College in New York City as seen on Aug. 29, 2024. Photo by Philissa Cramer
(JTA) — Barnard College settled a lawsuit Monday filed by Jewish and Israeli students alleging that the school had failed to address antisemitism on its campus.
The settlement of the lawsuit, which was filed by StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice, Students Against Antisemitism, Inc. and Barnard Jewish and Israeli student plaintiffs, includes a laundry list of measures the college must take to address antisemitism.
“Barnard’s commitment to take meaningful actions to combat antisemitism demonstrates its leadership in the fight against antisemitism and upholding the rights of Jewish and Israeli students,” said Marc Kasowitz, the lawyer for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit in a statement. “These commitments are not only the right thing to do, but are essential to creating a welcome and inclusive campus for all members of the Barnard community.
“I encourage other colleges and universities to do the right thing and follow Barnard’s lead,” he wrote.
In the settlement announced Monday, Barnard agreed to combat antisemitism on its campus by establishing a Title VI coordinator to review and respond to allegations and also produce an annual report.
The Title VI coordinator will also comply with guidance from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to “consider” the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to address instances of discrimination. The IHRA’s definition has been criticized for including some anti-Israel speech as examples of antisemitism.
The settlement also outlined commitments to educating the Barnard community about antisemitism, which will include a requirement for all students, faculty, and staff to complete training on the school’s policy against discrimination and harassment.
Additionally, Barnard’s president will deliver an annual message conveying the school’s “zero tolerance’ policy for discriminating against Jewish and Israeli students.
“Antisemitism, discrimination, and harassment in any form are antithetical to the values Barnard College champions. Today’s settlement reflects our ongoing commitment to maintaining a campus that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all members of our community,” said Barnard College President Laura Ann Rosenbury in a statement.
“These new measures, including enhanced training and a dedicated Title VI coordinator, build on Barnard’s existing policies and make our standards and expectations for treating one another, both on and off campus, crystal clear. We look forward to continued partnership and collaboration in support of all members of the Barnard community.”
The settlement also placed restrictions on protests at Barnard, including that the school “maintain policies limiting the time, place, and manner of demonstrations and prohibiting the use of face masks and other personal disguises.”
As part of the settlement, the school also agreed not to “recognize, meet, or negotiate” with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a pro-Palestinian group on campus, or any of its successors or representatives. Additionally, beginning in the 2025 fall semester, courses at the Jewish Theological Seminary will be available to all Barnard students at no cost.
The settlement comes as Columbia University, with which Barnard is affiliated, faces increased scrutiny and funding cuts from the Trump administration over its alleged failure to quell antisemitism on campus in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Last month, Columbia released a study that found that nearly two thirds of Jewish students at the school reported not feeling accepted for their religious identity during the 2023-2024 school year.
In May, the Trump administration also announced the conclusion of a civil rights investigation that found the school had acted with “deliberate indifference towards student-on-student harassment of Jewish students.”
In March, Columbia University also banned face masks at protests and acquiesced to a number of Trump administration demands in an effort to win back its federal funding.
