Latest News from Campus

A California jury found David William Denton guilty of arson and vandalism for setting a mezuzah at the entrance of the Berkeley Hillel on fire earlier this year. A judge subsequently recategorized the conviction as a hate crime. “Targeting and burning a sacred religious symbol is an act that can cause harm far beyond the physical damage itself… People of every faith should be able to practice their religion and gather in their communities without fear of intimidation,” said Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson.

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.