Unis are getting an antisemitism report card. They're thinking about it

Sydney Morning Herald

4 days ago

Universities that fail to end their 'tolerance for antisemitic conduct' on campus face being stripped of their funding, under a plan to end entrenched hostility, harassment and intimidation towards Jewish students and staff.
In a wide-ranging report, Australia's special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, detailed the surge of vandalism, threats and assaults Jewish Australians have faced since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack in Israel, while noting antisemitism was now 'ingrained and normalised' within academia.
Under the plan, every university across the country will be issued a report card by the envoy, which will grade the ability of Jewish students to participate actively and equally in campus life.
'Importantly, universities must embrace cultural change to end their tolerance for antisemitic conduct,' it said.
After the release of the report, universities stopped short of endorsing the plan but said they would consider its recommendations and were awaiting the federal government to respond.
Under the plan, taxpayer funding would be withheld from universities, programs or people within institutions that facilitate, enable or fail to act against antisemitism, while academics who engage in antisemitism would be subject to termination.
Additionally, a report card for each university would track their policies and complaint handling systems, as well as whether the campus environment was conducive to Jewish students participating actively and equally in university life.
Other measures to combat antisemitism include a commission of inquiry, including the sources of funding for organised clusters of antisemitism, if systemic problems remain by 2026. It also said the envoy would work with the national university regulator to ensure action was taken to stamp out antisemitism.