Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

After settling lawsuit, NYU to add Title VI position to counter antisemitism

The job requires annual reports of disciplinary data to the Board of Trustees.

Pro-Palestinian, Anti-Israel Protest at New York University
An anti-Israel protest at New York University on May 3, 2024. Photo by Carin M. Smilk.

New York University released a statement on Tuesday saying it had committed “to take groundbreaking measures to address antisemitism” following the decision to settle a lawsuit about the school’s antisemitic environment, filed by Jewish students.

One of the measures NYU announced is a new coordinator intended to “oversee compliance with Title VI, including ensuring that NYU responds adequately and consistently to allegations of discrimination and harassment based on all protected traits.” As part of the job, annual reports of disciplinary data to the Board of Trustees are required.

The agreements in the settlement remain confidential, including its “monetary terms.”

The position will follow the school’s existing Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, which utilizes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

Linda G. Mills, president of the university, said “we are committed to continuing our vigorous efforts to confront discrimination, including antisemitism, and the settlement in this litigation is yet another step in this direction.”

The lawyer for the students, Marc Kasowitz of Kasowitz Benson Torres, said “NYU, by entering into this historic settlement, is to be commended for taking a leading position among American universities in combating antisemitism on campus. Other universities should promptly follow their lead.”

“There’s no reason that the process can’t be dramatically accelerated,” Dan Schnur, a political science lecturer, told JNS.
Katie Wilson, who promised when she was running for mayor to turn off cameras, said that she made the decision after an intelligence briefing from local and federal law enforcement.
“It is troubling that a stadium supported by taxpayer dollars would openly subsidize an event led by an artist known for pushing this dangerous, hateful rhetoric, especially with Florida having one of the largest Jewish populations in our country,” Sen. Rick Scott stated.
Toronto’s police chief said that there will be more barricades and officers in an effort to prevent a repeat of last year’s “gauntlet of hate” near the walk.
Mika Hackner of the North American Values Institute told JNS that “particular attention should be paid to the ‘local institutions’ tasked with carrying on” the foundation’s programs.
The House Armed Services Committee rejected Rep. Ro Khanna’s amendment to delete section 224 from the annual defense bill, which calls for increased cooperation between the U.S. and Israel.