LA JOLLA, California (SDJW) — UC San Diego received a “D” grade on the Anti-Defamation League’s report card on campus antisemitism. It was one of 85 colleges and universities across the nation that was graded by the ADL with four other campuses of the University of California — Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara — also receiving “D” grades, as did CalTech in Pasadena and Cal State Northridge.
The highest grade among California universities that were ranked was a “C” for the University of Southern California. The lowest was an “F” for Stanford University.
The nine California universities were included in the national survey of 85 institutions of higher learning in which 2 schools received A’s (Brandeis and Elon Universities); 17 received B’s; 29 received C’s; 24 received D’s, and 13 received F’s.
In developing grading criteria, ADL consulted with a panel of experts that included Rabbi Kevin Fried, Managing Director at the Jewish Graduate Student Initiative; Sally Mason, former president of the University of Iowa; and Dr. William “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor Emeritus of the University System of Maryland, among others.
ADL talked with campus administrators and also looked at what the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism recommended to draw up a list of 21 criteria for assessment, categorized into: administrative action and policies, incidents on campus, and Jewish student life on campus.
San Diego State University and Cal State San Marcos were not included in this survey.
The ADL report provided details about antisemitism at each of the 85 universities. The section about UC San Diego read as follows:
“The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has 800 Jewish students, comprising 3% of the undergraduate student population, and 800 Jewish graduate students, comprising 12% of the graduate student population. There is a Hillel, Chabad and Jewish Greek life organizations.”
“There have been several antisemitic incidents on campus in the last year. In April 2023, a comment stating the ‘second Holocaust coming soon’ was left on an Instagram post of a Jewish student group. In May 2023, swastikas were smeared in feces on the walls of a residence hall bathroom.
“In late October, the UCSD Associated Students Council (ASC) endorsed a letter by UCSD’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter that labeled Israel an “apartheid state.” At a subsequent meeting, the ASC failed to pass a resolution that would have condemned antisemitism and would have apologized for endorsing SJP’s letter. In November, the ASC did condemn antisemitism following an outcry from Jewish students.
“In November 2023, a Jewish student wearing a Star of David necklace was approached and harassed with comments about genocide and ethnic cleansing. That same month, UCSD police had to evacuate Jewish students from an Associated Students Council meeting where antisemitism was being discussed following harassment by anti-Israel protesters outside of the building. There were also multiple rallies featuring anti-Zionist and pro-terror rhetoric, and posters of hostages were ripped down during a student walk-out.
“The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced in December that it is investigating UCSD for potential Title VI violations.
“In March 2024, the ASC passed a resolution calling for divestment from Israel. Also in March, the University issued an advisory to all staff and students asking the community to ‘consider avoiding the area’ on the day of a protest organized by SJP.
“The University, along with other UC schools, has made several statements condemning antisemitism in the wake of October 7. The University has clarified that its anti-discrimination policy explicitly includes antisemitism.
“UCSD established the ‘Tritons Belong’ initiative to support the campus community and encourage conversation, dialogue and connections. The campus also has mandatory Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training for all incoming students which addresses issues of antisemitism.
“In response to the ASC BDS resolution, the University issued a statement reiterating the position of all 10 UC campus chancellors in opposition to calls to boycott and divest from Israel. However, the resolution does establish an oversight committee that is being charged with reviewing the student government budget allocated to companies that support Israel.”
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SDJW staff report