Occidental College in California will move forward with steps to address and prevent antisemitism on campus under a recent settlement agreement with the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.
The agreement resolves allegations filed by the ADL and Brandeis Center against the Los Angeles-based private arts college with the U.S. Department of Education in April 2024. The Title VI complaint charged that Jewish students on campus were met with a “pervasive and hostile environment” following the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“We are gratified by the school’s engagement in meaningful discussions at the highest levels of the administration,” Brandeis Center president Alyza Lewin said. “And we are heartened that Occidental has committed to creating a safer environment for Jewish students.”
Among agreed-upon actions, the school will update its discrimination, harassment and retaliation policy to include examples of prohibited conduct that could constitute disparate treatment or harassment based on shared ancestry, such as Jewish identity.
The college will also consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when reviewing potential incidents of Jew-hatred on campus.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL, said he is pleased with Occidental College taking “meaningful steps” to protect the civil rights of Jewish students on campus and hopes “that this resolution will lead to other college administrators implementing these or similar measures proactively to address antisemitism on campus.”
Other parts of the agreement include placing “reasonable limitations on the hours and conduct” of campus protests; appointing an associate director of Jewish Student Life; offering lectures on the history of antisemitism; and implementing required training on Title VI and the college’s discrimination, harassment and retaliation policy for faculty and students.
