NC State to change anti-discrimination policy after controversy on lack of effective response to anti-Semitism

North Carolina State University changed its regulations regarding anti-discrimination after it had reached a settlement with the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under the Law. 

An Aug. 1 press release from the Brandeis Center explained the background of the settlement, stating NC State failed its Title VI obligations by not pursuing an effective response against the anti-Semitic harassment of a Jewish student on campus. 

The Jewish student in question “walked through a campus tunnel covered with swastikas,” and was told by the school leadership that “there was nothing they could do” when she brought it to their attention. 

[RELATED: Jewish students file OCR complaint against Colorado College for Title VI violations]

The student was also “doxxed and harassed on social media for being Jewish and supporting Israel,” and was harassed by other students who yelled “Death to Jews! Death to Zionists!” at her. 

As part of the agreement with Brandeis, NC State will alter its Non-Discrimination Policy to make it comply with “Title VI, Executive Order 13899, and North Carolina General Statutes (which include the newly passed SHALOM Act) and include language reflective thereof.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 stipulates that any “program or activity” that benefits from federal taxpayer dollars cannot discriminate against participants on the basis of “race, color, or national origin.”

The Brandeis press release clarifies that “Executive Order 13899 requires that both the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition [of anti-Semitism] and its contemporary examples be considered when identifying discrimination based on national origin and combating anti-Semitism” and that “The SHALOM Act states that North Carolina adopts the Working Definition of Antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 26, 2016 . . . as a tool and guide for training, education, recognizing, and combating antisemitic hate crimes or discrimination.”

[RELATED: Northwestern University to mandate training on ‘antisemitism and other forms of hate’ for students, staff, and faculty]

Among other measures as part of the settlement, NC State will also be required to “conduct a campus climate survey” to verify what other measures would be needed to combat anti-Semitism on campus.  

Robin Pick, Senior Counsel at the Brandeis Center, said: “By committing to combat anti-Semitism in accordance with Executive Order 13899 and North Carolina House Bill 942, which apply to training, education, recognizing, identifying and combating anti-Semitic hate and discrimination, NC State has the opportunity to be a leader and a model for other universities in the fight against anti-Semitism.”

Pick told Campus Reform that, because NC State adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, “they’re now equipped with a very powerful tool to recognize anti semitism when it happens on campus, and recognizing it is a key first step in combating it.”

”There is reason for hope, and at the same time, we are watching and monitoring what is happening on that campus to make sure that they continue to comply, and that the climate on campus remains safe for Jewish students and for all students,” she continued. 

Pick also confirmed that the number of complaints about anti-Semitism coming from college students “exploded exponentially after October 7 . . . but it’s not a new problem. It’s ongoing. It’s just reached new proportions.”

Campus Reform has reached out to the Brandeis Center and NC State for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.