Northwestern Students Face Enrollment Cancellation For Refusing Mandatory Training

EVANSTON, IL —A group of about 16 Northwestern University students could lose their enrollment status at midnight after refusing to complete a mandatory antisemitism training module.

The students are suing the university, alleging the school's anti-bias training is discriminatory to specific identities. The lawsuit claims the school's training and policies "prohibit expressions of Palestinian identity" by characterizing "criticism of the state of Israel as antisemitic."

A federal judge Monday blocked the students' temporary restraining order after determining that Northwestern did not engage in discrimination.

"We believe in our claims. We believe in our clients, and we believe that our claims are meritorious and that the courts will agree at the end of the day," attorney Maria Nieves Bolaños told ABC7 Chicago.

The students previously criticized Northwestern's mandatory training module, "Antisemitism Here/Now," which launched earlier this year and adheres to federal policy.

According to students, the training video included many historical inaccuracies and harmful insinuations. The video likens critics of Israel to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, comparing quotes from each on a slide.

The school's attorneys argued the training is in specifically meant to prevent discrimination and harassment, referencing a direct quote from the training that states "it is not antisemitic to criticize the policies, practices or members of the Israeli government."

Northwestern declined to comment on the lawsuit.