A federal lawsuit accusing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of tolerating antisemitism after the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel has been dismissed, after a judge ruled a similar one against Harvard University can continue, The Associated Press reported Thursday.
The MIT lawsuit accused the university of approving antisemitic activities on campus and tolerating discrimination and harassment against Jewish students and faculty. In dismissing the lawsuit July 30, US District Judge Richard Stearns noted that MIT took steps to address on-campus protests that posed a potential threat to Jewish students.
“Plaintiffs frame MIT’s response to the conflict largely as one of inaction. But the facts alleged tell a different story,” Stearns wrote. “Far from sitting on its hands, MIT took steps to contain the escalating on-campus protests that, in some instances, posed a genuine threat to the welfare and safety of Jewish and Israeli students, who were at times personally victimized by the hostile demonstrators."
The judge drew a sharply different conclusion about Harvard, moving toward a trial on the university's claim that it had done its best to balance its responsibilities of protecting free speech and preventing discrimination among its students.
Ruling on Aug. 6 that parts of that lawsuit can move forward, Stearns wrote that Harvard’s response to antisemitic incidents “was, at best, indecisive, vacillating, and at times internally contradictory.”
Both universities, and many others, have dealt with a sharp spike in antisemitism on their campuses since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
In November, Jewish students at MIT said members of a pro-Palestinian Arab group, Coalition Against Apartheid, physically prevented them from attending classes.
MIT later suspended Coalition Against Apartheid, citing unsanctioned demonstrations it held on campus.
In January, a group of Jewish alumni of MIT launched a campaign to withhold donations until the administration cracks down more forcefully on manifestations of antisemitism on campus.
MIT said on Thursday that the ruling in its case speaks for itself.
“We appreciate that the Court carefully assessed the allegations and dismissed plaintiffs’ claims,” MIT said in a statement quoted by AP. “Our leaders have and will continue to support our students and focus on making it possible for all of us to share the campus successfully while pursuing MIT’s vital mission.”
The StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice, which filed the lawsuit against MIT along with two students, expressed disappointment. Its director, Carly Gammill, said they had sought to “hold MIT accountable for failing to protect Jewish and Zionist students from antisemitic hate on its campus.”
“We are immensely grateful to the courageous students and attorneys who made this case possible,” Gammill said. "The SCLJ will continue its efforts to hold bad actors responsible — whether for perpetuating or showing deliberate indifference to antisemitism — on behalf of students at MIT and campuses across the country.”