To combat growing instances of anti-Semitism in higher education, 17 colleges and universities are participating in Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative (CCI) throughout the 2022-2023 academic year.
The institutions participating in the CCI’s third year are:
- Butler University
- Baruch College
- Brooklyn College
- College of Staten Island
- Goucher College
- Hunter College
- John Carroll University
- Lehigh University
- Queens College
- San Francisco State University
- The City University of New York (CUNY)
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Iowa
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Virginia Tech
- Yale University
The schools will create a coalition to address anti-Semitism on their campuses through in-person and virtual learning sessions and by expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training and education.
The CUNY system, for example, will add DEI training that helps student leaders, staff, and administrators recognize various forms of anti-Semitism. The university system is also developing a web page to report instances of anti-Jewish hate across its campuses and allocating $750,000 to fund events and programs to counteract religious and ethnic bigotry.
“We have remained vigilant and unequivocal in our intolerance of antisemitism, yet we know more needs to be done globally and locally to combat antisemitism and bigotry in all forms,” CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said in a news release. “I’m proud of our growing partnership with Hillel International and grateful that the organization selected our campuses for their Campus Climate Initiative, which works to end antisemitism and build safe learning environments in which all students can thrive, regardless of race or religion.”
