Northwestern President Faces Resignation Calls, Class Action Lawsuit From Jewish Students

EVANSTON, IL — Northwestern University President Michael Schill is facing demands for his resignation and a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of Jewish students over his handling of a pro-Palestinian encampment and antisemitic incidents on campus.

Schill issued a video message Tuesday, a day after his administration negotiated an agreement with representatives of the NU Divestment Coalition to remove all but one tent that protesters had pitched on Deering Meadow five days earlier.

The university president said it is a difficult environment for all colleges and university across the country but that it is vital to try to find a path forward.

"I understand the hurt and the worry felt by so many in our community," Schill said. "Jewish students are feeling threatened and unsafe; Muslim and Palestinian students are feeling like their voices need to be heard."

Schill said he was proud to have come to a "sustainable, de-escalated" agreement with the demonstrators, describing it as one that prioritizes safety for all students while providing room for free expression within school policies.

"This agreement reduces the risk of escalation, which we have seen at so many of our peer institutions," Schill said.

While many other demonstrations have resulted in mass arrests or violence, the Northwestern agreement with demonstrators appears to have been the first to end with a negotiated pact between protesters and administrators.

A day after Northwestern, demonstrators at Brown University agreed to dismantle their encampment after reaching an agreement that called for an October vote by the Brown Corporation on whether to divest from Israel.

Schill described how many of his aunts, uncles and cousins in Nazi-occupied Poland were sent to camps. Several died, he said, while the rest settled in Israel.

Antisemitism in universities, including Northwestern, is on the rise today, Schill said.

"I recognize that some slogans and expressions are subject to interpretation, but when I see a Star of David with an X on it, when I see a picture of me with horns or when I hear that one of our students has been called a 'dirty Jew,' there is no ambiguity," he said. "This needs to be condemned by all of us, and that starts with me."

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But, in a joint statement, a trio of groups organized to oppose antisemitism called for Schill's resignation over the agreement with protesters, declaring that he is unfit to lead the university.

Representatives of the Midwest Anti-Defamation League, StandWithUs and The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law said on Tuesday that Schill had rewarded the demonstrators "for their hate" by giving them a seat at the table.

“Their goal was not to find peace, but to make Jewish students feel unsafe on campus. Rather than hold them accountable — as he pledged he would — President Schill gave them a seat at the table and normalized their hatred against Jewish students,” the statement said.

“President Schill capitulated to hatred and bigotry and empowered and emboldened those who have used intimidation, harassment, and violence to achieve their ends," it continued. "Instead of issuing fines and suspensions in accordance with university policies, he awarded protest groups with scholarships, professorships, and a renovated community home."

Jewish Students File Lawsuit

The next day, a class action complaint against the university was filed on behalf of a trio of Jewish students. Using the names John and Jane Doe, the two graduate students and one undergraduate all now have concerns about their safety on the private school's Evanston campus.

One of the anonymous plaintiffs described walking with a friend near the encampment on its first day when a masked female demonstrator struck her friend with a protest sign and walked away. She was also told to "burn in hell" and followed from an area near the encampment, according to the suit.

The other graduate student plaintiff said a protester physically harassed one of his friends near the encampment over the weekend. One of the demonstrators later published his picture in a derogatory manner, the complaint alleges.

And the undergraduate student, who said he had previously been told that "Jewish students 'should go back to Europe, to Poland,'" according to the suit, heard hateful expressions while walking near the encampment over the weekend. He is now more concerned about his safety after learning about the administration's "appeasement" of the protesters.

The one-count complaint alleges a breach of contract between university officials and all Jewish students enrolled at the Evanston campus for the 2023-24 academic school year who did not take part in the encampment themselves.

Attorneys for the anonymous trio asked a judge to certify the class action, declare that university officials violated the contract, require Northwestern to comply with its policies and award compensation to Jewish students and their attorneys.

Committee Members Resign

Also on Wednesday, seven of the 16 members of Schill's advisory committee on preventing antisemitism and hate stepped down. In a letter obtained by The Daily Northwestern, they cited the university president's failure to consult the committee that he established last November.

According to student paper, those that stepped down include a committee co-chair, professor Efraim Benmelech, university trustee Paula Pretlow, undergraduate senior Lily Cohen, professors Martin Eichenbaum, Daniel Green and Philip Greenland, as well as Michael Simon, the executive director of university's chapter of the Jewish campus organization Hillel.

“It is essential that the University develop appropriate and timely recommendations to address and prevent antisemitism and hate,” they wrote. “However, in light of the University leadership’s decision not to utilize the committee for its stated purpose, we can no longer continue to serve in this role.”

Earlier: Northwestern Pro-Palestinian Protesters Claim 'Historic' Victory In Deal To End Encampment