Schill announces efforts to combat anti-Semitism and Islamophobia at NU

University President Michael Schill informed the Northwestern community in an email Tuesday afternoon about new efforts to combat anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hatred.

The changes include updates to the student code of conduct and demonstration policies, as well as the implementation of a new “display policy,” details of which will be announced in September, according to the email.

“Activities that lead to intimidation and prevent an environment in which dialogue and education can flourish must not happen again,” the message says. “Free speech and academic freedom are the lifeblood of our university, but they must not be used as an excuse for behavior that threatens the core of our mission – the pursuit of enlightenment and knowledge.”

Schill wrote in the email that the university has been reviewing its policies and resources throughout the summer to prepare for the upcoming academic year.

New resources include a new religious literacy program housed in the Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Office, unspecified “investments in public safety personnel and infrastructure,” hiring in the Office of Community Standards, and expanded efforts to facilitate difficult conversations, including through the new Center for Enlightened Disagreement.

In addition, the university will host “a series of lectures and panel discussions on anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and racism, as well as the history and politics of the conflict in the Middle East.” It will also make training on anti-Semitism and other forms of hate mandatory at Wildcat Welcome and in the fall semester for returning students. According to the email, the trainings will be available to staff and faculty, but the message did not specify whether they are mandatory.

The news comes as universities across the country prepare to welcome students back to campus after a spring of unrest, during which thousands of students were arrested for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on their campuses, including setting up huge tent camps and disrupting graduation ceremonies.

Schill was criticized by community stakeholders and outside groups for deciding to negotiate with student organizers of an encampment set up on Deering Meadow in May and deescalating the demonstration within five days with an agreement to provide additional support to Palestinian, Muslim and Arab students. The agreement sparked Calls for Schill’s resignation, ComplaintsThe collapse its Advisory Committee on the Prevention of Anti-Semitism and Hatred and an invitation to appear before the House Committee on Education and Workforce in May.

At the oral hearing doubled on his decision to negotiate with the students, despite the paint the agreement as a capitulation “to the anti-Semitic, terror-supporting camp organizers.”

The university also came under criticism this summer for the arrest of four NU employees for their involvement in the camp, although the Cook County Attorney the charges dropped after pressure from activists at NU and in the Chicago area.

“Efforts to ensure that anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of identity- or religious-motivated hatred do not take root on our campus reflect, and are in no way inconsistent with, our commitment to the values ​​of diversity, inclusion and tolerance,” Schill wrote in the email Tuesday afternoon. “Importantly, our values ​​also include free expression and academic freedom.”

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