SUNY New Paltz Receives Grade “D” From ADL Antisemitism Report

On April 10, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published a new Campus Antisemitism Report Card on which SUNY New Paltz received a grade of “D.” The university was labeled as having a “deficient approach” according to the report, which drew upon campus events and dynamics from 2022 — 2024. 

Founded in 1913, ADL is self-proclaimed as the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Its mission is “to stop defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” ADL targets antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive their impact. 

ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card is intended to be a tool for all audiences ranging from students, parents, alumni, college faculty, guidance counselors, admissions consultants and other stakeholders. The stated goal is “to serve students and their families looking for information about the current state of antisemitism on campus and how particular universities and colleges are responding.”

This year’s Report Card was produced during a time of intense division and polarization on college campuses, including debates over the rights and limitations of free speech and expression in regards to protests. “It takes temperature at a moment in time and provides a roadmap for improving campus climate,” states the ADL website.

Earlier this year, ADL faced backlash after CEO Johnathan Greenblatt placed opposition to Israel on par with white supremacy as a source of antisemitism. His stance that “Anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” spurred outrage from grassroots activists and Jewish groups critical of Israeli policy, and set off a firestorm within Jewish advocacy groups. Many members of ADL’s staff expressed disagreement with Greenblatt’s comments because of the dissonance from the organization’s own research. 

ADL intends for the Report Card Version 1.0 to be used alongside other tools when making decisions about college. The analysis that concludes reports “combines objective data with certain subjective impressions and analysis as well as ADL’s own beliefs about how to weigh different factors.” ADL publicly acknowledged that “reasonable people may disagree with these decisions.”

This year, 85 colleges and universities were selected for assessment, representing schools in the United States with the highest Jewish student populations as well as top national and liberal arts colleges. 

Narrowing down, the top 30 private and public campuses with the highest enrollment of Jewish students were selected from Top 60 Jewish Colleges guide. Colleges with the highest percentage of Jewish students relative to the total student population were included within ADL’s report as well, if the number of Jewish undergraduate students exceeded 500. Though ADL utilized Hillel’s guide, Hillel International was not a participant in the project. It was used only as a resource.   

Two separate U.S. News and World Reports were used as well. Schools with little public information such as military academies and schools with student populations that were almost entirely Jewish were excluded from the assessment. U.S. News and World Report was not a participant in the project either, used only as a resource. 

SUNY New Paltz has approximately 900 undergraduate Jewish students, representing 15% of the undergraduate student population, with 200 graduate students representing 23% of the graduate student population. “The university has a Hillel, a Chabad, a Jewish Student Union and Jewish Greek life organizations,” according to ADL’s report on the school.

ADL cited a federal civil rights complaint against SUNY New Paltz in 2022 which claimed the University “failed to take prompt and effective steps to protect Jewish and Israeli students from discrimination or eliminate the hostile environment and its effects.” This event was sparked by two students reporting online harassment, bullying and ostracization from New Paltz Accountability – a sexual assault accountability group – after posting pro-Israel messages on social media. 

Additionally, the report cited campus protests outside Student Supporting Israel’s event hosting members of the Israeli Defense Forces to speak on campus in February 2024, as well as posters of Israeli hostages being torn down around campus in November 2023.

In terms of the university’s policies and responsive action, ADL cited past statements by former university president Donald Christian. Issuing a statement in February 2022, Christian spoke out against antisemitism including “stipulating that excluding campus members from events and activities due to their support for Israel constitutes antisemitism.” Additionally, the university’s Belongingness Committee issued a report in March 2023 on the Jewish student experience, with recommendations including enhanced recognition of Jewish identity, increased understanding of how to report biased crimes and training for faculty to better accommodate religious practices.

ADL’s Report Card suggests SUNY New Paltz does not fulfill its criteria of having an official position against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign or promoting awareness of Jewish holidays. 

Additionally, the Report Card suggests the university only partially fulfills criteria regarding antisemitism within code of conducts and policies, mandatory antisemitism training for faculty and staff, the public condemnation of antisemetic incidents or interfaith initiatives on campus. 

President Wheeler released a statement on April 15 on the Report Card, communicating that ADL’s assessment does not align with the school’s self-assessment but will be seen as providing a valuable opportunity for critical reflection and leverage tools to improve diverse student experiences. 

Wheeler stated how “as a public university, we welcome feedback and evaluation from a variety of sources, such as national accrediting bodies, college rankings publications and surveys of our students, employees and alumni. In every case, these external reviews can help us see ourselves from new perspectives and devise new strategies for strengthening our institution and better serving our constituents.”

Referencing the university’s initiative of professional development of leadership to adhere to responsibilities under Title VI, Wheeler outlined future plans to respond to these assessments. Title VI requires all students in a school environment to be free from discrimination based on race, color or national origin, including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics. 

“We reject hatred, bigotry, racism, intolerance, antisemitism, Islamophobia and violence in all their forms,” Wheeler said. “As an educational institution, we accept the responsibility of creating space for difficult, constructive conversations in a way that protects the safety and respects the dignity of all participants.”