August 24, 2024 Update from CAAN

Last week, The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN) received important updates from critical components in the fight against antisemitism at Northwestern University.

The first update, from Northwestern University President Michael Schill, detailed the work that he and his team did over the summer with the goal of making campus a safer environment. This fall, the University said it will be increasing its community resources and developing educational opportunities to facilitate the discussion about the Middle East. President Schill also hinted at forthcoming changes to the student code of conduct and announced the creation of a mandatory sensitivity training program. While we are encouraged to see the University is beginning to take antisemitism seriously, it is essential that these new policies and requirements be implemented and enforced effectively. We will be closely monitoring Northwestern’s follow-through.

We won’t be the only ones.

Last week, the Congressional Committee on Education and the Workforce, which summoned President Schill to testify in May, issued a letter to President Schill and President of the Board of Trustees Peter Barris. The committee insists that the University demonstrate how it is prepared for potential further disruption this fall, requesting specific details on “new or newly revised policies or rules.” Furthermore, Congress wants to see what steps Northwestern has taken to ensure that violators of these policies will be properly disciplined.

As students prepare to return to Northwestern, we are cautiously hopeful that the campus that welcomes them back will be a much safer environment than the one they left in the spring.

Northwestern students and key stakeholders traveled to Capitol Hill on May 1, 2024, to advocate for the Education Department to adopt the definition of antisemitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The House vote was 320 to 91; the bill next needs to be taken up by the Senate.