PROVIDENCE - Brown University was given a failing grade regarding how safe Jewish students feel on campus by the nonprofit
Stop Anti-Semitism’s annual college report.
"At Brown, federal investigators found numerous antisemitic incidents met with little action. Despite new policies and training, the campus climate remains uncertain and unsafe for Jewish students,” the report said in their rankings section.
Brown was given an F grade alongside Harvard, MIT and Columbia University.
“The Stop Antisemitism report is completely disconnected from reality,” said Rabbi Josh Bolton in an email. Bolton, the executive director of Brown RISD Hillel and interim associate chaplain of the university for the Jewish community, attended the general assembly in Boston for Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world.
Since January, Brown has been in the
crosshairs of the Trump administration over alleged antisemitism occurring on campus since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and capture of Israeli citizens. Since then, tensions rose on the Brown campus regarding the ongoing conflict. The matter stirred various controversies on the Ivy League grounds last spring, including students being
arrested in protests – with those charges since being
dropped.
A majority of colleges and universities given low ranks on Stop Anti-Semitisim's reported all had students hold protests against Israel's actions against Palestinian civilians following the Oct. 7 attacks.
Brown also has since implemented
various measures to combat discrimination on campus. In doing so, the university reached an agreement with the federal government that restored their $50 million in research funding. The agreement also codifies Brown’s committing to initiatives and programs ensuring “a thriving Jewish community” and launching a third-party campus survey.
“We also continue to take significant, proactive, effective steps to combat antisemitism and ensure a campus environment free from harassment and discrimination,” said Brian Clark, vice president for news and strategic campus communications.
Clark went on to say that many of these efforts even predated the federal scrutiny at the beginning of this year. “The enhancements were based on the best-practice recommendations of an external Title VI compliance review that Brown proactively and voluntarily commissioned in December 2023 and January 2024,” he said.
“We dedicate ourselves to ensuring an environment that is free of all forms of harassment and discrimination,” Clark said. “Because in doing so, we cultivate the conditions necessary for fulfilling our mission of education and research.”
Veer Mudambi is the special projects editor at Providence Business News. He can be reached at mudambi@pbn.com.
