From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 7, 2024
New lawsuit against MIT accuses university of allowing antisemitism on campus
Two Jewish students filed a federal lawsuit today against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), accusing the university of allowing antisemitism on campus that has resulted in them being intimidated, harassed and assaulted.
The lawsuit mirrors similar legal actions filed since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, including at Columbia University, New York University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.
In the MIT lawsuit, the students and a nonprofit that fights antisemitism, StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice accuse the university of approving antisemitic activities on campus and tolerating discrimination and harassment against Jewish students and faculty.
“As a result of MIT’s blatant and intentional disregard for its legal and contractual obligations to its students, plaintiffs and other students have suffered injury to themselves and their educational experience,” the lawsuit alleges. “Jewish and Israeli students at MIT have felt unsafe attending classes, have in some instances deferred graduation dates or exams, and some professors have left the university.”
A statement from MIT said the university does not typically comment on pending litigation.
“Generally, we’d note MIT has established processes in place to address concerns of discrimination and harassment,” according to the statement.
The lawsuit is requesting the court prohibit MIT from “establishing, implementing, instituting, maintaining, or executing policies, practices, or protocols that penalize or discriminate against Jewish students.”
It also is demanding that MIT take any preventive measures including firing staff and expelling students who engage in antisemitic behavior.
The lawsuit also calls for the university to communicate to the school community that it will “condemn, investigate, and punish any conduct that harasses members of the Jewish community, or others on the basis of their ethnic or ancestral background.”
Last month, MIT suspended an anti-Israel student group that has held demonstrations against the war in Gaza.
Protests over the war have roiled campuses across the US and reignited a debate over free speech. College presidents and other leaders have struggled to articulate when political speech crosses into harassment and discrimination, with both Jewish and Arab students raising concerns that their schools are doing too little to protect them.
The issue took center stage in December when the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT testified at a congressional hearing about antisemitism on campus. A Republican lawmaker equated the use of the word “intifada” with calling for the genocide of Jewish people, and then asked if such rhetoric violates campus policies. The presidents offered lawyerly answers and declined to say unequivocally that it was prohibited speech.
Their answers prompted weeks of backlash from donors and alumni, ultimately leading to the resignations of Liz Magill at Penn and Claudine Gay at Harvard.
MIT’s Sally Kornbluth remains president of the university.
