The president of Northwestern University near Chicago, Michael Schill, recently threatened anti-Israel demonstrators with disciplinary action after the school was hit with a U.S. House committee investigation into antisemitism on campus. Schill’s statement came after Northwestern students used red paint to vandalize a display of Israeli and American flags, prompting the president to condemn the act as vandalism and unacceptable. Critics of the university’s response to antisemitism argue that Schill’s statement was long overdue, as the school had previously allowed Jewish and pro-Israel students to be harassed and targeted by other students, agitators, and even faculty members.
The statement from Schill threatening “disciplinary action” against the anti-Israel agitators came after Northwestern struck a controversial deal with the demonstrators to end an illegal encampment on campus. The deal included covering the full cost of attendance for five Palestinian students for the duration of their undergraduate careers, as well as providing temporary space for MENA/Muslim students and a house conducive to community building for these students. Liora Rez, the founder and executive director of StopAntisemitism, expressed that Schill’s response was only a result of Congress launching an investigation into antisemitism at Northwestern, suggesting that the president should have stood up for Jewish and pro-Israel students from the beginning.
William Jacobson, a Cornell University Law Professor, noted that Northwestern appears to be feeling pressure from the negative response to the deal struck with the agitators, which included discriminatory scholarships and housing demands. He questioned whether the university’s tougher stance was genuine or merely for show. Rez pointed out that Northwestern has a history of accommodating antisemitism, and accused Schill and the university trustees of capitulating to the demands of antisemitic demonstrators in a display of ineffective leadership. The chairperson of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx, has opened an investigation into the university’s response to antisemitism and its failure to protect Jewish students, demanding answers and documents regarding the encampment and alleged antisemitic incidents.
The House Committee’s investigation into Northwestern’s response to antisemitism has prompted the university to express its commitment to combating antisemitism on campus and ensuring the safety of all students. President Schill is scheduled to discuss the steps Northwestern has taken with the committee during a hearing in Washington, D.C. Northwestern University has until May 17 to respond to the committee’s demands for information. The university’s response to the investigation and its handling of antisemitism on campus will be a key focus of the upcoming hearing. Critics have raised concerns about the university’s history of accommodating antisemitism and its recent deal with anti-Israel agitators, questioning the effectiveness of the leadership at Northwestern.
