[DRAFT] Rutgers–New Brunswick Action Plan

Provide expanded opportunities for awareness and education on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues for faculty, staff, and students.

Recent Actions

• DICE and its Tyler Clementi Center for Diversity Education and Bias Prevention are partnering with the Division of Student Affairs Interfaith Council to launch a Jewish Ally Zone and a Muslim Ally Zone during Summer 2024. These workshops, developed at NYU, have proven popular and effective. (The Jewish Ally Zone educates participants on the diversity of Jewish identity and practice, the history of antisemitism and its manifestations today, and the impact of antisemitism on the Jewish student experience. The Muslim Ally Zone educates participants about Islam, the challenges of Islamophobia, and the Muslim experience on campus).
• The Tyler Clementi Center is partnering with Right to Be to offer bystander intervention training for the Rutgers–New Brunswick community. Training will be offered annually. The 2023-24 trainings took place on February 23 (“Bystander Intervention to Stop Antisemitic Harassment” and February 29 (“Bystander Intervention to Stop Islamophobic and Xenophobic Harassment”).
• All senior leaders in DICE engage in ongoing training to ensure cultural competency. DICE is also exploring ways to increase its team’s capacity.
• The Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Antisemitism and Jewish Life recommended trainers for faculty and staff on issues related to antisemitism. The Office of the Chancellor will work with the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian life to identify trainers on issues related to anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian hate.
• The Rutgers–New Brunswick Division of Student Affairs offered two professional development sessions in April to all of its staff members: “Understanding Antisemitism: Past and Present” and “Understanding Islamophobia, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Racism.” All Student Affairs staff members are receiving resources to continue their learning and an invitation to a joint session in September 2024.

Next Steps

• During Summer 2024 DICE will work to develop and integrate training for staff and faculty.
• The Office of the President is forming university-level advisory groups and will ask them to advise on programming for Fall 2024 on combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate, beginning with senior administrators. These trainings and practices for ongoing dialogue and understanding will draw upon expert guidance from external partners.
• The Office of the Chancellor will work with the Office of Employment Equity and DICE to ensure staff expertise represents cultural competency on Jewish life and Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian life, and to ensure impartiality and inclusivity of religious and ethnic diversity.

Help our campus community understand the roots of Islamophobia and antisemitism and how they manifest in our community.

Recent Actions

• As noted above, DICE and Student Affairs will launch a Jewish Ally Zone and a Muslim Ally Zone during Summer 2024. These workshops will educate participants on, among other things, the histories of antisemitism and Islamophobia and how they manifest today.
• As noted above, the Tyler Clementi Center is partnering with Right to Be to offer bystander intervention training for the Rutgers–New Brunswick community. Training will be offered annually. The 2023-24 trainings took place on February 23 (“Bystander Intervention to Stop Antisemitic Harassment” and February 29 (“Bystander Intervention to Stop Islamophobic and Xenophobic Harassment”).
• During Summer 2024, the Office of the Chancellor will develop plans for broad campus engagement through opportunities to explore how we define antisemitism and Islamophobia on our campus.
• During Fall 2024, the Office of the Chancellor will launch the Dialogue Across Difference Chancellor Series with opportunities for our campus community to understand the roots of these forms of hate and how they manifest in our community.

Establish an Advisory Council on Jewish Life and Preventing Antisemitism, and an Advisory Council on Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian Life.

Recent Actions

• The Chancellor’s Office convened the Advisory Council on Antisemitism and Jewish Life in January 2024. The Chancellor’s Office will continue its proactive dialogue with the advisory council, which meets regularly.
• The Office of the Chancellor convened the Advisory Council on Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian Life in January 2024. The Chancellor’s Office will continue its proactive dialogue with the advisory council, which meets regularly.

Next Steps

• The Office of the President will form matching, university-level advisory groups, with nominations from each chancellor-led area.
• One of the first requests for these universitywide groups will be to advise on programming for Fall 2024 on combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate, beginning with senior administrators. These trainings and practices for ongoing dialogue will draw upon expert guidance from external partners.

Review the university’s bias policy and protocols, and related policies and procedures, to ensure their effectiveness.

Recent Actions

• Recent Actions: · Rutgers–New Brunswick has convened faculty, administrators, and students to review the bias reporting protocol and website to make the process more user-friendly and responsive. The new bias process and website should be completed by August 1, 2024.
• As part of Rutgers University’s Spring 2022 participation in the Hillel International Campus Climate Initiative, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law conducted a review of Rutgers University policies including he university’s policy on discrimination and the Code of Student Conduct. The Office of Student Conduct and Office of General Counsel are reviewing the Brandeis Center’s recommendations.

Next Steps

• The Office of the Chancellor has asked the ADL to consider providing consultation on a policy review process in conjunction with the ADL’s Educational Policy Department; on messaging to incoming students and the campus community to set expectations around terms of discourse for the campus; on antisemitism and sensitivity training for campus security; and on training for the Bias Outreach and Response Team that is responsible for the intake of bias reports.

Review our codes of conduct to ensure sufficient accountability.

Recent Actions

• The Office of the Chancellor, through the Division of Student Affairs, has convened a Task Force on Faculty, Staff, and Student Codes of Conduct, charged with reviewing existing codes of conduct and the policies, practices, and procedures that uphold them, and making recommendations on how we can best advance a culture of freedom from acts of bias, harassment, and intimidation and freedom to learn, live, and work in safety, mutual respect, and academic freedom.

Next Steps

• The Office of the President will ask the University Senate to consider codes of conduct and ethics, and make recommendations in its capacity as an advisory body.
• The Office of the President will ask the Office of General Counsel for recommendations on how to share a high-level report of complaints about bias incidents during the past year without violating laws and policies regarding privacy and confidentiality.

Explore the creation of new strategic alliances and intentional outreach toward different segments of our campus community.

Recent Actions

• The Office of the Chancellor will continue to proactively reach out to our community with messaging about our rejection and condemnation of antisemitism, anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian hate, and all forms of bias, intimidation, and harassment; and with messaging on resources for wellbeing and creating a community of safety, mutual respect, and academic freedom. Recent campuswide messages and resources can be found on the Chancellor’s Communications page and on the Caring for Our Community website.
• As noted above, DICE through the Tyler Clementi Center is partnering with Right to Be to offer bystander intervention training for the Rutgers–New Brunswick community. Training will be offered annually. The 2023-24 trainings took place on February 23 (“Bystander Intervention to Stop Antisemitic Harassment)” and February 29 (“Bystander Intervention to Stop Islamophobic and Xenophobic Harassment”).
• As noted above, the Office of the Chancellor has asked the ADL to consider providing consultation on a policy review process in conjunction with the ADL’s Educational Policy Department; on messaging to incoming students and the campus community to set expectations around terms of discourse for the campus; on antisemitism and sensitivity training for campus security; and on training for the Bias Outreach and Response Team that is responsible for the intake of bias reports.
• As noted above, the Office of the Chancellor has established the Advisory Council on Antisemitism and Jewish Life, and the Advisory Council on Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian Life, both of which consist of faculty, staff, and students and advise the Chancellor on campus initiatives and communications.
• The Office of the Chancellor values its relationship with Rutgers JFAS and is working to implement its recommendations.
• (Can we add anything about creating any new “strategic alliances” or “intentional outreach”?)

Next Steps

• Rutgers University and Tel Aviv University (TAU) in November 2021 signed an MOU that will further the collaboration between the two universities and establish a presence by TAU at the NJ Innovation & Technology Hub, a 550,000-square-foot, $665 million project in New Brunswick.
• Rutgers–New Brunswick is considering the policy used by the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, which flies 185 flags representing the UN’s 193 member states and two observer states, the Holy See and Palestine.

Acknowledging that our process for supporting free expression has been adopted by other institutions and presented as a best practice, examine how to ensure greater responsiveness, planning, and coordination.

Recent Actions

• The Office of the Chancellor, through the Division of Student Affairs, has convened a Task Force on Faculty, Staff, and Student Codes of Conduct, tasked with reviewing existing codes of conduct and the policies, practices, and procedures that uphold them, and making recommendations on how we can best advance a culture of freedom from acts of bias, harassment, and intimidation and freedom to learn, live, and work in safety, mutual respect, and academic freedom.
• As noted above, DICE through the Tyler Clementi Center is partnering with Right to Be to offer bystander intervention training for the Rutgers–New Brunswick community. Training will be offered annually. The 2023-24 trainings took place on February 23 (“Bystander Intervention to Stop Antisemitic Harassment” and February 29 (“Bystander Intervention to Stop Islamophobic and Xenophobic Harassment”).

Next Steps

•  While noting that the university is unwavering in its support of free speech and academic freedom, the Office of the President will ask the University Senate to review the recommendation related to departments and groups taking public stances on political issues.
• While noting that the university is unwavering in its support of free speech and academic freedom, the President’s Office will ask the University Senate to review the recommendation related to faculty rights and privileges.