Columbia University settles lawsuit with Jewish student over campus security amid Gaza protests

Columbia University has agreed to take additional steps to make sure its students feel safe on campus, a settlement reached Tuesday with a Jewish student who sought a court order that the Ivy League school provide safe access to campus amid protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

The law firm representing the plaintiffs in the suit, filed as a class action complaint, called the settlement “the first of its kind to protect Jewish students from Gaza War extremists on campus.”

Under the agreement, Columbia must create a new point of contact — a Safe Passage Liaison — for students concerned about their safety. The liaison officer will handle students’ safety concerns and coordinate any requests for escorts through the existing escort program, which must remain available 24/7 until at least Dec. 31, according to the agreement.

The agreement, among other provisions, also provides for academic facilities for students who are unable to enter the campus to complete assignments or examinations.

“We are pleased that we were able to reach a resolution and remain committed to our first priority: the safety of our campus so that all of our students can successfully continue their education and accomplish their academic goals,” a university spokesperson said in a written statement.

The agreement outlines a variety of steps Columbia has already taken to ensure the safety of students on campus, including some controversial ones, such as giving the New York Police Department authority to clear the university’s administrative building and arrest more than 100 people.

The protests at Columbia, which included an encampment, inspired similar demonstrations at colleges and universities across the country, with students demanding that their schools divest from companies that advance Israel’s military efforts in Gaza and, in some cases, from Israel itself.

A legal group representing pro-Palestinian students has urged the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to investigate Columbia’s compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and how they have been treated.

Jay Edelson, an attorney for the Jewish student plaintiffs, said the negotiated settlement represents “a return to basic, shared principles of safety on campus for all Columbia students,” after “extremist protesters” chose to “push their Jewish peers off campus with intimidation and fear.”

The agreement also states that Columbia “will continue to work to provide opportunities for students and faculty to engage in safe, civil, and constructive dialogue on the important issues that have been raised in recent months” and will not interfere with students’ efforts to organize public debate on campus.