Rutgers University has settled with the federal Department of Education (DOE) and agreed to implement a number of changes, including anti-bias training, in response to about 400 documented complaints of discrimination against Jewish, Israeli, Arab and Muslim students.

The settlement with the Office of Civil Right (OCR) of the DOE involved Title VI violations of a protected class based on shared ancestry and national origin. The evidence in the investigation “so far reflects that the university likely operated a hostile environment based on national origin/shared ancestry in university programs or activities without redress as required under Title VI,” at four campuses, officials said in a statement. Rutgers also “subjected some students to discriminatory different treatment based on national origin,” the statement said. All of the reported incidents occurred during the 2023-2024 academic year, and 293 of them involved allegations of antisemitic or anti-Israel behavior.

The university’s four Chancellor Led Units (CLUs) involved are the main New Brunswick campus, Newark (including Rutgers Law School), Camden and Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences.

All institutions receiving federal funding can be stripped of that funding for failing to follow Title VI regulations, but the DOE has made it a practice to reach agreements with school districts and universities to rectify violations rather than cut financial support.

In its 15-page summary of the allegations, findings and agreed-upon resolutions, OCR found “the actions and responses to alleged harassment of students based on their national origins do not appear to have been sufficient to redress or to prevent recurrence of hostile environments for these students, or to remedy their effects, including, where appropriate, offering campus-wide remedies to students and providing training to University employees/representatives involved.”

It also noted that Rutgers tended to respond to incidents individually rather than have uniform policies to deal with bias and harassment incidents “seemingly failing to consider their cumulative, hostile effect on the environment or to remedy its effects on affected students.”

Besides the additional training for staff, students and police, the university will conduct a thorough review of the previous year’s student conduct violations and agreed to develop “conduct listening sessions” and a campus climate assessment.

Rutgers has already taken some steps to mitigate the rash of antisemitic harassment on campus. It has suspended Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) for the current academic year and is participating in Hillel-led antisemitism training seminars.

Among the incidents cited in the DOE agreement was a Rutgers student who threatened an Israeli at the Jewish Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity by posting on the Yik Yak social media site, “There is an Israeli at AEPI go kill him.”

The student, Matthew Skorny, received only a one-semester suspension and was allowed to remain on campus under disciplinary probation for the remainder of the fall 2023 semester with the suspension enforced during the following spring 2024 semester.

At the time, Rutgers declined to answer a Jewish Link inquiry about whether Skorny would be allowed back on campus, citing federal privacy laws regarding the student conduct process. Disciplinary measures were only revealed in a House report on college antisemitism released about two months ago.

Incidents were particularly a problem at the Newark and New Brunswick campuses including at an April town hall in New Brunswick where students shouted, “Globalize the Intifada,” and Rutgers President Dr. Jonathan Holloway and Jewish students had to be escorted to safety by Rutgers Police. Only one student was reprimanded for the mass disruption.

The settlement also cited a series of events surrounding SJP’s actions in Newark involving doxing, harassment and counter-charges by both pro-Palestinian and Jewish law students. OCR cited instances in which both groups appeared to receive unequal treatment. As a result, Rutgers had opened a disciplinary hearing against Yoel Ackerman, an Orthodox law student who has since transferred and filed legal action against the school.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) praised the agreement and called on Rutgers administrators to take the necessary action to protect Jewish students.

“We are pleased to see that Rutgers University has committed to making meaningful changes to help protect students against antisemitism and other forms of hate on their campus in line with ADL’s recommendations, including creating a campus climate survey and providing employee trainings,” said Lindsey Sokel, ADL’s associate regional director for New York/New Jersey in a statement to The Jewish Link. “These are positive steps to help curb the shocking rise in antisemitism we are seeing locally and nationally.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Dist. 15) called the agreement “an important step forward.”

“While I remain concerned that addressing these claims took too long, I appreciate the DOE’s investigation and recognition of the disturbing instances of discrimination we have witnessed against Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and South Asian students at Rutgers University,” he said. “I am appalled that, in a single year, DOE documented more than 400 reports of discrimination on Rutgers’ campus. No student should feel unsafe or threatened at school.”

Gottheimer added: “I am pleased to see that Rutgers has committed to implement many of the same reforms that I have urged them to make in the last year. I will be watching closely to ensure that Rutgers follows through on its commitment to eradicate antisemitism and discrimination from its campus, and makes meaningful progress toward fostering a safer and more inclusive environment for all students and faculty members.”

Debra Rubin has had a long career in journalism writing for secular weekly and daily newspapers and Jewish publications. She most recently served as Middlesex/Monmouth bureau chief for the New Jersey Jewish News. She also worked with the media at several nonprofits, including serving as assistant public relations director of HIAS and assistant director of media relations at Yeshiva University.