Pomona College reached a settlement with the Anti-Defamation League, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Hillel International on Wednesday, following a complaint the trio filed with the U.S. Department of Education in April 2024.
The three groups alleged in the complaint that the private liberal arts school in southern California allowed “severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish students” to occur on campus. The Education Department said in August that it was probing the matter.
Under the new agreement, the highly-ranked school will recognize that the word “Zionist” tends to be used as a code for “Jew” and will use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred when investigating alleged antisemitism on campus.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL, stated that the agreement is a “critical turning point for Pomona’s Jewish students, faculty and staff.”
“The comprehensive reforms negotiated with Pomona touch nearly every aspect of campus life, and we welcome the college’s significant, multi-faceted commitment to fighting antisemitism on its campus,” he said.
“With the reforms in this agreement, we expect meaningful and urgent strides toward Pomona’s promise of creating a safe and welcoming environment for its Jewish and Israeli students, faculty and staff,” he added.
The college commits to recognize that targeting Zionists can violate the school’s nondiscrimination policies if it’s “on the basis of their actual or perceived Jewish or Israeli shared ancestry” and that “Zionist” is “often used as a code word for ‘Jew,’” per the agreement.
The school must also appoint a coordinator to ensure compliance with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and Pomona’s website must include an option to report Title VI incidents. Students, faculty and staff will also be required to take Title VI training, according to the agreement, which is to begin in the spring.
G. Gabrielle Starr, president of Pomona, stated that “antisemitism has persisted for thousands of years, and this settlement is not a one-size-fits-all toolkit.”
“It’ll be up to our community to put it in place and to live it,” she said.
Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center and former U.S. assistant secretary of education for civil rights, stated that “the action steps outlined in this settlement will address the blatant and egregious antisemitism faced by Pomona’s students, therefore protecting students from facing similar treatment in the future.”
“We hope it encourages others to take legal action against those who violate our constitutional rights,” he said.
