Latest News from Campus

Carnegie Mellon University defended its new restrictions and disciplinary actions concerning the historic campus “The Fence” after facing criticism from advocacy groups. The administration’s new policies include permitting campus police to request valid CMU identification from anyone painting on the structure. According to CMU’s student newspaper, the university also has placed 10 students under investigation for allegedly painting anti-Israel slogans on the property. University officials say action was needed to prevent a hostile environment that “crossed the bounds of… community norms.”

Reed College reached a settlement with the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center over Title VI antisemitism complaints filed by two former students. Under the agreement, the college will update its discrimination policy to state that “targeting Jews based on their Zionist identity” constitutes discrimination, appoint a Title VI coordinator, provide antisemitism training, and hire an independent consultant to monitor compliance.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Working Group on Antisemitism published its final report, offering actionable steps to address antisemitism across five areas. These include recommendations on institutional policies, incident response, and campus training, as well as formalizing the university’s consultation with external local Jewish leaders.

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) police launched an investigation after an unrecognized campus group painted anti-Israel slogans alongside the phrase “By any means necessary” on the university’s landmark Fence. CMU President Farnam Jahanian denounced the messages, saying,  “[It] is categorically unacceptable for an anonymous message painted on CMU property to incite or imply support for violence, and it is equally unacceptable for members of our campus community to feel physically threatened or unsafe.” Jahanian’s statement prompted a second round of graffiti on the structure, this time directed at the university administration.

The Seattle Colleges District Compliance Office initiated a review of tenured Spanish language and literature professor David Quintero after he sent an email to a faculty listserv arguing against the hiring of Israeli citizens. In the message, Quintero questioned how “Zionist Israeli dual-citizens” pass security background checks and characterized them as criminals and killers. District officials confirmed the matter is under human resources evaluation to determine appropriate action under institutional policies governing discrimination and workplace harassment.

Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Colorado Boulder drew condemnation from CU Boulder and others after they published a statement calling for the release of the perpetrator of the 2025 firebombing attack that killed an 82-year-old woman and injured more than a dozen others. The statement described the violence as “resistance,” prompting strong reaction from the university, state officials, and community members. “[SJP’s] reprehensible rhetoric causes real harm to Jewish students on our campus — students who are still grieving, still healing, and still showing up every day with courage and pride. We are in close contact with CU administrators and are committed to making sure our community feels supported,” CU Boulder Hillel said.