Photo taken from hesston.edu The Brandeis Center has just released an important new resource for Jewish American college students, The Louis D. Brandeis Center’s Short Guide to the Law Against Campus Anti-Semitism. The Short Guide is a Fact Sheet on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Over 40% of Jewish American college students have admitted to experiencing or being aware of anti-Semitism on their campus, but not many know that they do not just have to stand idly by as they are discriminated against. Crafted by Brandeis Center staff attorney Danit Sibovits, the Fact Sheet shines a light on underused processes available to victims of anti-Semitic biases and sentiments, while helping identify what actually constitutes such an incident. For those unfamiliar with Title VI, it is the section of the Civil Rights Act that guarantees that you cannot be discriminated against or excluded on the basis of race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs. It applies to virtually all American colleges and universities, whether public or private, as well as to lots of other institutions. Due to the efforts of LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus while he was delegated the authority of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education (OCR), Jewish students fall under this protection, making incidents of campus anti-Semitism a serious matter. These incidents come in various forms, such as verbal abuse, physical abuse, or the stifling of opinions/views. The effect of anti-Semitism on college campuses across America is the creation of a harsh, negative environment for students who identify as Jewish. Some students report that they don’t feel confident walking across campus wearing a Star of David around their neck for fear of retribution. In other instances, such as at UC Irvine, students would do everything to avoid being identified as Jewish, from denying ties to Hillel to stopping attending Shabbat dinners. Their identities were being unjustly discriminated against and causing increased pressure on them. Within the Fact Sheet students are able to find answers to many of their questions, such as what exactly Title VI is and why it protects them as Jewish students. Not many students realize that they are protected from anti-Semitism under the Civil Rights Act specifically as Jewish students. More importantly, it helps students identify when an incident is anti-Semitic, specifying various qualifications like if something is “demonizing Israel with symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism, comparing Israeli policy to that of the Nazis, and blaming Israel for all inter-religious or political tension,” amongst others. Furthermore, directions are provided to resources like Brandeis Center lawyers, as well as reassurances to students that universities are not allowed to retaliate against them in the face of accusations. The necessity for this Fact Sheet was born out of observations made by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The USCCR and its then-Staff Director, Brandeis Center President Kenneth L. Marcus, found that “many college campuses throughout the United States continue to experience incidents of anti-Semitism. This is a serious problem that warrants further attention.” In conjunction with that, they also found that Jewish American students often do not know their rights against anti-Semitism on college and university campuses. As I mentioned in my blog post, the Top Ten Surprises About Campus Anti-Semitism, there have been a high volume of anti-Semitic incidents in the last decade, particularly notable for their diversity and the lack of response from university administrators. The Brandeis Center intends for its Fact Sheet to remedy this problem while serving as a complementary campaign to the Brandeis Center’s legal advocacy program. The legal advocacy program is the Brandeis Center’s way of getting involved on college campuses where anti-Semitic incidents occur. By directly contacting and communicating with university administrators and students, LDB tries to prevent the need for litigation by remedying the incident at hand and drafting procedures for administrations to use if future incidents occur. The Brandeis Center does not recommend legal action for every anti-Semitic incident, only in cases where university administrators fail to take prompt and effective action. However, in some cases, the Brandeis Center will choose to pursue a legal course of action, specifically filing a Title VI complaint with the Department of Education. The Fact Sheet is intended to increase the breadth of resources the Brandeis Center provides for universities and colleges. One such existing guide is the Best Practices for Combatting Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israelism, providing university administrators with guides and materials to handle anti-Semitic incidents and prevent them in the future. The step-by-step guide details the best way to go about educating the student population about anti-Semitism, while still providing defined punishments for incidents of that nature. The Title VI Fact Sheet builds on that initiative by addressing the other side of the issue, the victimized student’s perspective, giving them the guidance they need in times of crisis.