Section 08 — Institutional
Faculty & Administration
Institutional change requires institutional allies. Learn how to engage the people with the power to transform your campus climate — and hold them accountable when they don't.
Engagement Progress
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Institutional Pressure Points
Find faculty and administrators who value academic freedom and oppose discrimination. Look for those who have spoken up on other civil rights issues.
Understand your university's governance structure, recent incidents, and existing policies before requesting meetings.
Draft a concise, data-driven request for a meeting with the relevant administrator. Lead with facts, not emotions.
Compile documentation: screenshots, incident reports, student testimonials, and your specific asks.
Present your case during the meeting. Be specific, be respectful, and follow up in writing within 24 hours.
If the administration doesn't act, document the inaction and escalate to Title VI channels.
Structural Change
Campus Climate Initiatives
Systemic problems require systemic solutions. Pushing for formal campus climate initiatives ensures that antisemitism is addressed not as isolated incidents, but as a structural issue the university commits to tackling.
Antisemitism Task Forces
Push your university to establish a dedicated task force on antisemitism — not folded into generic DEI programming. This task force should include students, faculty, and community members, with a clear mandate, published minutes, and accountability metrics.
How to Push for This
Draft a proposal with specific deliverables. Present it to the President with a coalition letter. Follow up quarterly.
Campus Climate Surveys
If your university conducts diversity climate surveys, demand that Jewish students are included as a distinct demographic. If they don't conduct surveys, push for them. Data makes the invisible visible — you cannot fix what you refuse to measure.
How to Push for This
Partner with the institutional research office. Use validated survey instruments. Demand that results are published and acted upon.
Policy Changes
Advocate for explicit antisemitism policies that include the IHRA working definition, clear consequences for violations, and protections against BDS litmus tests. Policies should cover student organizations, academic departments, and campus events.
How to Push for This
Research peer institutions with strong policies. Draft model language. Build a coalition to support adoption.
Training for Staff & Faculty
Require antisemitism awareness training for all staff, faculty, RAs, and student government leaders. Training should cover recognizing antisemitism (including anti-Zionist manifestations), responding to incidents, and supporting Jewish students.
How to Push for This
Partner with ADL or Hillel International to provide professional training. Push for mandatory sessions during orientation.
Allies
Faculty Allies
Faculty allies are among the most powerful assets Jewish students have. When a professor speaks up, other faculty listen. When a department chair takes antisemitism seriously, it changes department culture. Finding, cultivating, and supporting these allies is critical work.
Professors Who Speak Up
Some faculty have been vocal in defending Jewish students. Identify them, thank them, and support them publicly. They often face social consequences for their stance. Let them know their courage is seen and appreciated.
Including Jewish Perspectives in Curriculum
Encourage faculty to include Jewish history, antisemitism, and the Holocaust in relevant courses — not just in Jewish Studies. Antisemitism should be part of the conversation in sociology, political science, history, and diversity courses.
Supporting Students in Hostile Departments
In departments where anti-Israel sentiment is orthodoxy, Jewish students need faculty who will defend academic freedom. A professor who ensures Jewish students can express views without grade retaliation is a lifeline.
Navigating Academic Freedom vs. Harassment
Academic freedom protects the right to discuss controversial topics, but it does not protect harassment, discrimination, or creating a hostile learning environment. Help faculty understand this distinction — and encourage them to model it.
Accountability
Institutional Accountability
When universities fail to protect Jewish students, accountability tools exist to create pressure for change. These approaches range from quiet diplomacy to public advocacy — use them strategically and escalat only when necessary.
Accreditation Complaints
Universities must meet accreditation standards that include non-discrimination. File complaints with regional accreditors (e.g., Middle States, WASC) if your university systematically fails to address antisemitism. This is the nuclear option — use it thoughtfully.
Alumni Engagement & Pressure
Alumni donors have outsized influence. Organize alumni to write letters, withhold donations, or publicly advocate for change. Coordinate with your Hillel's alumni network. A well-timed alumni letter to the Board can move faster than months of student protests.
Donor Relations
Major donors can request meetings with university leadership and express concerns about campus climate. Even small donors can participate in coordinated campaigns. The threat of reduced giving often accelerates administrative action.
Public Records Requests
File FOIA or state-equivalent public records requests for emails, policies, and communications related to antisemitism complaints. This can reveal how the university responded (or failed to respond) to documented incidents.
Media Attention Strategies
Sometimes the only way to get institutional action is public pressure. Contact journalists, write op-eds for the campus newspaper, and share your story with national outlets. Media attention is a tool — use it when quieter methods have failed.
Congressional & Government Pressure
Contact your elected representatives about campus antisemitism. Congressional hearings and Title VI investigations<FootnoteRef /> have put pressure on universities nationally. Your voice — and your representative's — can amplify the issue beyond campus. 3
FAQ
Common Challenges
41% of Jewish students report antisemitic incidents inside the classroom. Institutional change begins when faculty and administrators refuse to look away.
Hillel International & Anti-Defamation League, Campus Climate Survey, 2023–2024. adl.org.
Sources
- Hillel International / ADL campus climate surveys, 2023–2024.
- ADL, Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2024. adl.org
- Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Title VI guidance and enforcement actions.