Barnard College Settles Lawsuit with Jewish Students Over Allegations of Unprotected Harassment
Columbia University’s Barnard College settled a lawsuit on Monday brought by several Jewish students who accused the school of not doing enough to protect students from harassment.
In order to reach the settlement, Barnard agreed not to meet or negotiate with anti-Israel demonstrators and said it would take complaints from Jewish students seriously, according to the law firm representing the students. Columbia became the hotspot for violent anti-Israel protests since the start of Hamas’ war on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with demonstrators even taking over a campus building and allegedly holding a university employee hostage.
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“Antisemitism, discrimination, and harassment in any form are antithetical to the values Barnard College champions,” Barnard College President Laura Ann Rosenbury said in the press release. “Today’s settlement reflects our ongoing commitment to maintaining a campus that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all members of our community.”
Barnard also agreed to hire a Title VI coordinator to ensure the school is in compliance with civil rights law, according to the press release. The college will also implement mandatory anti-discrimination training for all students and staff.
Barnard and Columbia did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The lawsuit was brought against Barnard College and Columbia’s trustees in June 2024 alleging the school “selectively enforces its policies to avoid protecting Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, hires professors who support anti-Jewish violence and spread antisemitic propaganda, and ignores Jewish and Israeli students’ pleas for protection.”
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“Barnard’s commitment to take meaningful actions to combat antisemitism demonstrates its leadership in the fight against antisemitism and upholding the rights of Jewish and Israeli students,” Marc Kasowitz, counsel for the plaintiffs, said in the statement. “These commitments are not only the right thing to do, but are essential to creating a welcome and inclusive campus for all members of the Barnard community. I encourage other colleges and universities to do the right thing and follow Barnard’s lead.”
With pro-Palestinian demonstrators frequently demanding schools divest from Israel, Barnard also reiterated that its endowment “is not a vehicle for expressing political positions” and said it would not use it to penalize any country, according to the law firm’s press release.
Columbia remains in an ongoing battle over its federal funding with the Trump administration due to its alleged failure to address antisemitism on campus. Despite immediately relenting to the administration’s demands, the federal government has revoked millions from the school and is now targeting its accreditation.
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in May found the Ivy League university “failed” to adhere to its own policies regarding responding to complaints from Jewish students and enforcing punishments on students engaged in vandalism and illegal and disruptive protests on campus.
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