A settlement has been reached after a complaint alleging Pomona College allowed discrimination and harassment of Jewish students.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Hillel International and the Anti-Defamation League announced in a Wednesday, Dec. 10, news release that the settlement would lead to reforms to address antisemitism and enhance protections for Jewish and Israeli students at the college.
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The changes are expected to be made by the end of the spring semester, but must be made within a two-year period.
“We voluntarily entered into these discussions because the College takes seriously its obligation to evaluate complaints about discrimination and to see if there are additional steps we can take to strengthen a welcoming and supportive learning environment for our students and everyone at Pomona,” Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr in a statement.
During negotiations, the college pushed for the agreement to protect free speech, including peaceful protest and to protect all students, including Jewish and Israeli students, from discrimination and harassment, Starr wrote.
Pomona College, one of the seven Claremont Colleges, was named in a federal complaint to the U.S. Department of Education filed in April 2024 and accused of “permitting severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish students in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
The school was one of several in Southern California and across the nation under investigation by the federal government. Scripps College, also one of The Claremont Colleges, was part of the probe.
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“This settlement is a step in the right direction,” said Deena Margolies, a staff attorney for the Brandeis Center.
Margolies hopes the settlement will bring other campuses to the negotiation table.
“What makes this agreement so important and so strong is that they have agreed to adopt a comprehensive set of reforms to address not only the anti-Semitism on their campus but the anti-Zionism and enhance protections for Jewish and Israeli students on their campus,” Margolies said.
The organizations alleged the college experienced an increase in anti-Semitic incidents after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas. The college was one of many across Southern California and the country to see pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza on its campus.
Under terms of the settlement, the college, which despite its name is located in Claremont, will update its website and training material to reflect the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism and guidance from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, according to the release.
The college’s Non-Discrimination Policy has not changed, Eric Abelev a spokesperson for the college, said in a Dec. 11 email. However, the college will consider the definition when it investigating complaints, determining if conduct is anti-Semitic.
The college will appoint a Title VI coordinator who will oversee the college’s compliance and make sure investigations of antisemitism complaints are overseen by trained administrators. Title VI is a 1964 law allowing the Attorney General to address violations to equal protections.
Policies will also be updated to govern student conduct, including time, place and manner rules for demonstrations. Policy changes will also prohibit masked protests and revise the encampment policy that includes clear definitions and enforceable prohibitions, the Brandeis Center release states.
The college’s website lays out the policy updates and the settlement’s effects on policies and student conduct.
The updates explain anti-Semitism, anti-Zionist harassment, and how when Jewish students are targeted because of their shared ancestry, national origin or ethnic characteristics, it would violate Pomona’s policies and Title VI, Margolies said.
“And at the same time, they also address free speech, academic freedom, and the distinction between protected expression and prohibited discriminatory conduct,” she said. “So, it will give a lot of guidance to the campus community.”
The college will also become a full participant in Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative and will create an Advisory Council on Jewish Life and Antisemitism, which will include representation from the executive director of Claremont Hillel and Claremont Chabad.
The permanent advisory council will advise on Jewish life and anti-Semitism, and will be made of Jewish student leaders, campus professionals and other stakeholders.
“That’s going to be empowered to advise senior leadership,” Margolies said.
A mediator from the Office of Civil Rights helped reach the agreement, which resolves the complaint and a subsequent investigation.