Jewish leaders expressed optimism following the appointment of Kent Syverud, chancellor and president of Syracuse University who was named the 16th president of the University of Michigan. He brings more than a decade of leadership experience at Syracuse and previous academic administration roles, including at Vanderbilt and Washington Universities.
Vandals broke into a private residence where Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity brothers at the University of California, Santa Barbara live, and smeared a swastika on a bathroom mirror – an act critics say is part of a broader surge in antisemitism at the university. The incident drew immediate reaction from Jewish groups, including AEPi, which called on university leaders “to take concrete, visible action to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, including Jewish students who are being explicitly targeted.”
The Cooper Union agreed to settle a Title VI antisemitism lawsuit brought by 10 Jewish students who said they felt unsafe when barricaded inside a campus library during anti-Israel protests that followed Oct. 7, 2023. Under the settlement, the college will compensate the students, hire a Title VI coordinator, and ban masks at protests.
Following a nearly two-year investigation, University of California, Davis assistant professor Jemma DeCristo will remain on the job. Three days after the October 7 terrorist attacks, DeCristo posted on X, threatening “Zionist journalists” and their children, and including a knife and blood-drop emojis. She later claimed the post was satire, not a literal call for violence.
Northwestern University, NU Graduate Workers for Palestine, and two graduate students jointly filed to dismiss a class-action lawsuit that alleged the university’s mandatory antisemitism training was discriminatory. The lawsuit, which was initially filed in October, was “dismissed without prejudice, leaving the door open to potentially refile the case” at a future point.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is reportedly closing its Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies following years of controversy regarding alleged antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, including when a guest speaker called October 7, 2023 a “beautiful day” and argued for “the eradication of Zionism.” In an op-ed, Peter Reitzes, who writes about antisemitism in North Carolina, said the anticipated closure is a positive move that “hopefully reduces the hate, antisemitism, and anti-Israel demonization that has been normalized at the university for years.”