Latest News from Campus

Harvard University is reportedly willing to pay as much as $500 million to the federal government in order to settle outstanding antisemitism and civil rights lawsuits. This report comes just a week after Columbia University agreed to pay $221 million in fines to the government related to allegations of antisemitism, which the White House said it sees as a model for settlements with other universities.

University of Madison Wisconsin suspended its Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter after finding that conduct during an anti-Israel protest violated university policies. The protest targeted an event hosted by the La Follette School of Public Affairs featuring former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The university found that SJP violated five university policies, including obstruction to doors, disorderly conduct, and breach of probation, which was put in place after the 2024 SJP encampment.

Cornell University is reportedly in negotiations with the U.S. government to reclaim hundreds of millions of dollars lost in federal research funding after allegedly failing to prevent antisemitism on campus. The talks are said to mirror the model recently used in Columbia’s $221 million settlement, involving potential fines and policy changes related to campus antisemitism, admissions, and shared oversight.

In this opinion piece by Jon Falk, vice president of Israel Action and Addressing Antisemitism Program at Hillel International, campus discourse around Israel is framed through three historical lenses: 1948 (Israel’s founding), 1967 (borders and statehood), and October 7, 2023 (recent attacks and their fallout). Falk suggests that recognizing which conversation is taking place can help students better navigate complex discussions about Israel.

Stanford University suspended the “Kairos,” a student co-op house, for the 2025–26 academic year after a university investigation found that Jewish students were asked to leave an event based on their perceived identity as “Zionists.” Investigations into Kairos began last spring with one report by the school’s Title VI office finding that the students involved were “targeted based on their perceived Jewish identity.”

Columbia University will pay over $200 million to settle federal investigations into alleged discrimination and civil rights violations regarding the school’s response to antisemitic incidents on campus following the October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel. As part of the settlement, the government will restore $400 million in research funding that it had withheld after accusing Columbia of failing to protect Jewish students during anti-Israel protests. A jointly selected independent monitor, Bart M. Schwartz, will assess Columbia’s compliance with the resolution, including guidelines around admissions and faculty hiring.