What Colleges and Universities Should Do to Prepare for the 2025-2026 Year 

As colleges and universities plan for the 2025-26 academic year, they have both the opportunity and the legal obligation to ensure all students can learn in a safe and inclusive environment. ADL, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Hillel International, and the Jewish Federations of North America have come together to offer a unified agenda for campus administrators that we believe will assist campuses in fulfilling this obligation. Our organizations are united in our commitment to the safety and full inclusion of Jewish and Israeli students, faculty, and staff – and all students, faculty, and staff – in higher education across the United States.

We are grateful to the many colleges and universities that have already taken meaningful action to fight antisemitism and support Jewish students, faculty, and staff following the sharp rise in incidents in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. These efforts, which were in line with our recommendations last summer, have included instituting training on antisemitism and how to report antisemitic incidents, clearer articulation and enforcement of time, place and manner regulations around protests and demonstrations, attention to security concerns, and clear efforts to foster an environment committed to civil dialogue. When enacted, these actions led to a significant reduction in impermissible encampments, reduced disruption and harassment, and a safer, more inclusive campus environment for all. But more work is needed and sustained commitment, policy enforcement, and clear communication to campus communities about rights and responsibilities are critical to success.

Outlined below are five pillars of action universities should implement to help ensure antisemitism is not tolerated and to promote the well-being of Jewish members of their campus communities.

I.  Promote Campus Safety by Communicating and Enforcing Rules Governing Protests and Demonstrations and Policies Prohibiting Discrimination

Colleges and universities have the moral and legal obligation to create and maintain a physically safe and secure campus for their students, faculty, and staff. It is therefore imperative that university leaders make clear to incoming and returning students what it means to be a member of their campus community, including the behavioral norms that are expected of students and the impact on the whole community when those norms are not met. These include the respectful exchange of ideas, and a commitment to nondiscrimination. University leaders similarly should make clear to faculty and staff their obligations as employees and members of an academic community to engage respectfully with all members of the community regardless of religion, ethnicity or national origin. University leaders possess a unique platform to communicate to the entire campus community the unambiguous expectations for the coming year. We urge you to use this platform.

University leaders must also ensure that students, faculty, and staff are aware of their campuses’ codes of conduct, including policies and procedures for managing protests, demonstrations, postings, and other speech activity, including time, place, and manner restrictions. Before the start of the academic year, prepare communications for all campus community members about what these policies are, why they are important, how they align with core campus values, and the potential consequences for violating them.

These policies should then be enforced in an even-handed, content-neutral, and consistent manner to prevent activities that impede the university’s academic mission or interfere with the rights of any members of the campus community to speak, listen, teach, research, learn, or participate in campus activities or programs. 

We also urge colleges and universities to ensure campus law enforcement is properly trained to recognize and address antisemitic conduct that violates criminal law; that there is regular and consistent communication with Jewish communal institutions on campus about security needs; and that there is regular communication with and plans in place to liaise with local law enforcement when necessary.

As much of campus life extends into digital spaces, universities should also take action to address campus safety in these environments. Jewish students, faculty, and staff are increasingly subjected to online bullying, doxxing, and coordinated harassment, often through anonymous platforms, group chats, or social media. These digital attacks can be deeply isolating and intimidating, creating a hostile climate that mirrors – and at times intensifies – on-campus tensions. Institutions must update their harassment policies to explicitly cover online conduct and take swift disciplinary and remedial action when violations occur. 

It is incumbent on university leaders to promptly and directly respond to alleged violations of campus policies, as well as to alleged violations of the university’s non-discrimination policies when antisemitic incidents are reported. University leaders must promptly and impartially investigate such incidents and, if they are substantiated, should publish strong, timely statements that (1) explicitly condemn the incident and explain what steps will be taken by the university to address the situation and prevent its recurrence, (2) describe specific support available for the Jewish community, and (3) establish clear expectations for respectful campus discourse and conduct tied directly to the mission of the institution. The fact that the incident may involve protected free speech in no way reduces the university’s obligation to step up, speak out, and redress a hostile environment that is created or exacerbated by the incident, as indicated by the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education: “The fact that harassment may involve conduct that includes speech in a public setting or speech that is also motivated by political or religious beliefs does not relieve a school of its obligation to respond under Title VI if the harassment creates a hostile environment in school for a student or students.” – U.S. Dept of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Dear Colleague Letter, p. 3 (May 7, 2024). Access the full letter here.

II.  Establish a Title VI Office or Coordinator

Colleges and universities should establish a Title VI office or designate a coordinator  responsible for preventing and addressing discrimination prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, including antisemitism and discrimination based on national origin. The functions of this office or individual should include: 

Establishing clear accountability and coordination over the handling of Title VI complaints will enable colleges and universities to respond effectively and in compliance with their legal obligations. Transparency about the complaints received will help build community trust, show the school is taking the issues seriously, and give administrators the data they need to respond effectively and prevent future harm.

III.  Support Jewish Students, Staff, and Faculty

A number of steps should be taken to support Jewish students, staff and faculty this academic year, including:

  1. Prevent discrimination against Jewish students in campus organizations, clubs, and activities. In many cases over the past two school years, Jewish students have been marginalized and even expressly excluded from student organizations or activities because “Zionists are not welcome.” This form of exclusion becomes even more insidious when the word “Zios” (a term coined by former KKK leader David Duke) is invoked as an antisemitic slur applying this type of litmus test. All colleges and universities should take proactive steps to ensure that all Jewish students, expressly including those who identify or are perceived to identify with support for Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State (as Zionists), have full and equal access to all the school’s student organizations, programs, and activities.
     
  2. Unequivocally denounce the targeting of Jewish students, faculty, and staff and their organizations. In addition to Jewish students, faculty and staff members being individually harassed because of their identity or support for Israel, Jewish institutions like Hillel, the primary center for Jewish student life on campus, and Chabad, another essential Jewish campus organization, have increasingly become targets of attacks in the form of vandalism and calls for schools to sever ties with them. This is antisemitism pure and simple and is intended to weaken and marginalize Jewish religious and cultural institutions on campus. Colleges and universities must unequivocally reject these antisemitic actions and demands.
     
  3. Ensure Israeli students, faculty, and staff are welcome. Israeli students, faculty, and staff are an integral part of many university communities, yet since October 7, 2023, many have faced heightened hostility, exclusion, or discriminatory treatment based on their national origin. In some cases, Israeli speakers have been disinvited, academic collaborations have been blocked, and individuals have been singled out or harassed in classrooms and meetings. Universities must ensure that Israeli members of the campus community are treated with the same dignity, safety, and inclusion as all others. This includes enforcing non-discrimination policies, responding promptly to reported bias incidents, and affirming that Israeli voices and perspectives are a valued part of the academic community. We further encourage intentional integration of Israeli perspectives on campus to enable viewpoint diversity and demonstrate the diversity of Israelis themselves.
  1. Reject BDS, including soft and shadow boycotts. There has been a dramatic increase in demands for divestment from companies affiliated with Israel and boycotts of Israeli universities, study abroad programs, and research collaborations. Colleges and universities should reaffirm their opposition to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and take affirmative steps to root out these unlawful discriminatory practices. They should publicly affirm their commitment to the free exchange of ideas and access to diverse academic opportunities, including via their partnerships with Israeli institutions and scholars and by featuring the work of Israeli scholars and researchers.
     
  2. Show up for Jewish students. It is vitally important for university administrators to show up for Jewish students and express support for the Jewish community by personally attending Jewish community events on campus. Opportunities should be coordinated with campus Jewish organizations such as Hillel to maximize impact. They can include, but are not limited to, major events undertaken by campus Jewish organizations, during the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), break fast following Yom Kippur, Simchat Torah celebrations, Shabbat dinners, Passover celebrations, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and commemorations of the October 7 attacks.
     
  3. Provide antisemitism education and training for all students, faculty, and staff. Universities should provide mandatory training on antisemitism for students, administrators, faculty, and staff on a regular and recurring basis as part of student orientation and faculty/staff professional development. Universities are encouraged to consult with local Jewish communal organizations (including affiliates or regional offices of the signatories) to ensure the trainings are consistent with the lived experiences of the Jewish community. Many students, faculty, and staff do not fully understand what antisemitism looks like today—including how anti-Zionist rhetoric crosses the line into antisemitic harassment. Without that understanding, harmful behavior can go unchecked, and Jewish students, faculty, and staff may be left feeling isolated, unsafe, or silenced. Educating students and employees about antisemitism ensures everyone knows how to recognize antisemitism, understand its impact, and take action to prevent it—just like we do for other forms of bias and discrimination. Many universities nationwide have already instituted mandatory antisemitism training.
  1. Promote structural reform, intellectual diversity, and institutional transparency. In recent years, university departments, academic centers, and faculty-led initiatives have increasingly come under scrutiny for a lack of ideological diversity, including around issues related to Israel and antisemitism. This contributes to an environment where Jewish students, staff and faculty can feel intellectually marginalized or silenced. Universities must take seriously the need for structural reform that fosters genuine intellectual diversity and transparency. This includes ensuring that institutional funding, departmental sponsorships, and event platforms reflect a range of perspectives and do not exclude Jewish voices or normalize antisemitism under the guise of academic freedom. Faculty governance processes and hiring practices should also be reviewed to guard against ideological litmus tests and to reaffirm the university’s commitment to the search for knowledge, free inquiry, and scholarly debate.
  1. Invest in opportunities for dialoguing across differences. In an increasingly polarized campus climate, universities must intentionally create spaces that foster respectful engagement across lines of political, religious, and cultural difference. Without proactive support, difficult conversations around Israel and Jewish self-determination, antisemitism, and other issues often devolve into hostility or exclusion, leaving students unable to share their deeply held beliefs for fear of ostracization. Institutions should invest in dialogue programs, facilitated discussions, and initiatives that promote empathy, active listening, and shared understanding. These efforts should be designed to include a diversity of Jewish voices and reject frameworks that portray Jewish and Zionist identities as inherently problematic. These may be complemented by programs that foster media literacy and an appreciation for differing and nuanced viewpoints.

IV. Develop and Administer a Process to Assess the Campus Climate with Respect to Antisemitism.

Colleges and universities should develop a regular process to assess the prevalence of antisemitism on campus, including how many respondents have been targeted, witnessed antisemitic behavior, or feel safe openly identifying as Jewish on campus. The study should also measure awareness of school policies for reporting incidents, willingness to report, and confidence in how complaints are handled. The school should use the data to inform and improve its policies, procedures, and response to campus antisemitism.

This data will give schools a clear picture of what’s working, what’s not, and where they need to focus their efforts. It will help identify blind spots, inform training and response protocols, and guide decisions about prevention and accountability. Regular assessments also signal to students and employees that leadership takes antisemitism seriously and is committed to creating a safe and respectful learning environment.

V. Reaffirm Faculty Professional Responsibilities to Uphold Core Academic Values

Universities and colleges must make clear to all campus community members – faculty, staff, and students – the rules that govern the academic sphere, how those rules will be enforced, and the consequences for violation and ensure that faculty codes of conduct are vigorously and consistently enforced. The inherent and unequal power differential between faculty and students heightens the vulnerability of students to faculty coercion and political indoctrination. Universities must protect students from these dangers, which interfere with learning and can create a hostile environment. Faculty members have a duty to encourage the free pursuit of learning in their students and ensure that core academic principles of respect, tolerance, intellectual honesty, and open inquiry guide institutional operations. Faculty have no authority to impose their own particular political views and opinions concerning matters extraneous to the course of instruction itself, or to significantly insert material unrelated to the course. Faculty may not discriminate against any student on political grounds or based on that student’s legally protected status. Nor should faculty members be allowed to cancel a class session for the purpose of encouraging students to participate in a political protest or rally, or threaten to decrease or withhold students’ grades if ideologically or politically based course components are not met. These norms of faculty conduct should be made explicitly clear at the beginning of the school year.

Conclusion

We urge college and university administrators to commit to these critical measures designed to prevent a hostile environment that violates the civil rights of Jewish students, faculty, and staff. We reiterate our willingness to partner with all colleges and universities to support the implementation of these efforts so that this coming school year is safer and more inclusive for Jewish students, faculty, and staff, and campus communities overall.

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