Cooper Union Settles Antisemitism Lawsuit, Agrees To Campus Reforms After Students Trapped in Library During Protest

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art agreed Thursday to implement a series of measures aimed at curbing antisemitism and harassment on campus, resolving a lawsuit that alleged the school failed to protect Jewish students during an anti-Israel protest.

The agreement was announced Thursday by attorneys representing 10 Jewish students who argued that the private Manhattan college created a hostile academic environment, in violation of Title VI of US civil rights law. That statute prohibits institutions receiving federal funds from allowing discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin.

As part of the settlement, Cooper Union will appoint a Title VI coordinator to oversee how discrimination and harassment complaints are handled. The school will also introduce training programs for staff and students on relevant policies and ban the use of masks intended to conceal identities during demonstrations, according to the students’ lawyers. In addition, the college will provide financial compensation to the 10 students, though the amount was not disclosed.

“Jewish students deserve to learn without being targeted, harassed, or excluded because of who they are or what they believe,” Ziporah Reich, director of litigation at the Lawfare Project, which represents the students told the Times of Israel. “Universities have a legal duty to protect them.”

Cooper Union and its legal counsel did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the settlement.

The lawsuit stemmed from an incident on October 25, 2023, when pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the school’s library. According to the complaint, protesters pushed past security guards, pounded on doors and windows, waved signs, and chanted “Free Palestine,” while Jewish students sheltered inside, saying they feared for their safety. The students alleged that administrators failed to intervene and instructed police officers who offered assistance to stand down.

In February, US District Judge John Cronan rejected Cooper Union’s attempt to dismiss the case, ruling that free speech protections did not excuse the treatment described by the students.

The case against Cooper Union emerged amid a broader wave of litigation following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, after which Jewish students across the United States reported a sharp rise in antisemitism on college campuses. Several major universities, including Columbia University, Harvard University, and New York University, have faced similar lawsuits and reached settlements.