Barnard College has reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by Jewish students alleging the institution failed to adequately address rising antisemitism on campus following the Israel-Hamas conflict, the New York Post reports.
The agreement, filed Monday, mandates several key policy changes at the Columbia University-affiliated women's college.
Under the terms of the settlement, Barnard College will prohibit masks on campus and will cease engagement with the anti-Israel student protest group Columbia University Apartheid Divest. Furthermore, the college will establish a dedicated Title VI coordinator to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws.
Barnard President Ann Rosenbury affirmed the college's commitment to its values, stating, “Antisemitism, discrimination, and harassment in any form are antithetical to the values Barnard College champions. Today’s settlement reflects our ongoing commitment to maintaining a campus that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all members of our community.”
This settlement removes Barnard College from the broader lawsuit that also targets Columbia University, where the majority of alleged anti-Jewish incidents occurred amid widespread protests after the October 7, 2023, terror attacks. The lawsuit against Columbia University remains active.
The settlement goes beyond a mask ban, which Columbia University also instituted in March. Barnard will create a Title VI coordinator position to review discrimination accusations from students, including Jewish and Israeli students, based on race, color, or national origin, according to the Post. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits racial discrimination in federally assisted programs.
Additionally, the agreement solidifies Barnard College's stance against recognizing or engaging with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group advocating for divestment from what it terms the "Zionist occupation and genocide of Palestine."
Marc Kasowitz, an attorney representing the Jewish groups and students, praised the settlement, stating, “Barnard’s commitment to take meaningful actions to combat antisemitism demonstrates its leadership in the fight against antisemitism and upholding the rights of Jewish and Israeli students. These commitments are not only the right thing to do, but are essential to creating a welcome and inclusive campus for all members of the Barnard community.”
Barnard College was the scene of an anti-Israel demonstration in February, in which protesters stormed a campus building in protest of the expulsion of two students who had disrupted an Israeli professor’s class at Columbia earlier in the semester.
Later, pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators initiated a sit-in at Barnard College.
New York Police Department officers eventually entered the campus and detained at least six individuals.
This past September, on the first day of classes, dozens of masked anti-Israel protesters gathered at the entrance to Columbia and at Barnard College.