Northwestern U. Encampment Deal Establishing Preferences for “Palestinian” and “MENA/Muslim” Students Challenged By Equal Protection Project
“Northwestern capitulated to the demands of protesters who encamped without authorization. However, Northwestern had no authority to agree to discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, national origin and shared ancestry in order to get the encampment removed …. Northwestern must treat all students equally. Political expediency is no legal excuse.”
On April 29, 2024, Northwestern University struck a deal to have the pro-Hamas unauthorized encampment removed, with a twist not seen at other universities. Northwestern agreed to establish preferences for “Palestinian” students in accessing a new scholarship program and “MENA/Muslim” [MENA = Middle East North Africa] students in housing.
These ethnic, national origin, and shared ancestry preferences violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On May 1, the Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) filed a Civil Rights Complaint (full embed at bottom of post) with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education. OCR has jurisdiction because Northwestern receives federal funding.
Here is an excerpt from the Complaint:
We bring this civil rights complaint against Northwestern University (“Northwestern”) located at 633 Clark St, Evanston, IL 60208, for its publicly stated announcement that it plans to discriminate based on ethnicity and national origin in violation of Title VI’s prohibition of such discrimination. Specifically, three members of the University’s top administration (President Michael Schill, Provost Kathleen Hagerty, and Vice-President for Student Affairs Susan Davis) on April 29, 2024, issued a formal “Agreement on Deering Meadow” (the “Encampment Agreement”) with a group of students and faculty who had staged an unauthorized 5-day anti-Israel protest and encampment on a Northwestern property called Deering Meadow.
In the Encampment Agreement (press release1, full agreement2 attached, archived version3) Northwestern publicly committed, among other things, as follows (emphasis added):
• The University will support visiting Palestinian faculty and students at risk (funding two faculty per year for two years; and providing full cost of attendance for five Palestinian undergraduates to attend Northwestern for the duration of their undergraduate careers). The University commits to fundraise to sustain this program beyond this current commitment.
• The University will provide immediate temporary space for MENA/Muslim students.
• The University will provide and renovate a house for MENA/Muslim students that is conductive to community building as soon as practicably possible upon completion of the Jacobs renovation (Expected 2026).The Encampment Agreement has received substantial news coverage.4
In violation of Title VI, the stated commitment of the University to provide five scholarships exclusively to “Palestinian” students illegally excludes and discriminates against non-Palestinian students based on their ethnicity, national origin, and shared ancestry.5 Additionally, the reservation of space and housing for “MENA/Muslim” students appears to be segregationist in nature, excluding at least in part students on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, and shared ancestry.
Fox News has the story:
A nonprofit legal organization filed a civil rights complaint against Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Tuesday, after it announced plans to offer five scholarships exclusively to “Palestinian” students, allegedly discriminating against the rest of the student body.
The Equal Protection Project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, based in Rhode Island, is an organization that fights for equal protection under the law and nondiscrimination by the government and against racial discrimination of any form.
According to a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education against Northwestern, the school said it was planning to discriminate based on ethnicity and national origin, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964….
“In violation of Title VI, the stated commitment of the University to provide five scholarships exclusively to ‘Palestinian’ students illegally excludes and discriminates against non-Palestinian students based on their ethnicity, national origin, and shared ancestry,” the complaint states.
“Additionally, the reservation of space and housing for ‘MENA/Muslim’ students appears to be segregationist in nature, excluding at least in part students on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, and shared ancestry.”
William A. Jacobson, president of the Legal Insurrection Foundation and founder of the Equal Protection Project, filed the complaint.
“Northwestern capitulated to the demands of protesters who encamped without authorization. However, Northwestern had no authority to agree to discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, national origin and shared ancestry in order to get the encampment removed,” Jacobson said. “Whether in scholarship or housing, Northwestern must treat all students equally. Political expediency is no legal excuse.”
Northwestern University did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the civil rights complaint.
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Comments
Thank you thank you, Prof Jacobson for all you do!
its very important that we allow these blmplo students to instruct us on how to live eat think drink etc as they are in fact running the country now and only getting stronger b/c of the lefts agenda
and rinos who help with the suicide of america cant be thanked enough
This action should result in furthering the education of all of the students, faculty, and administrators concerned.
As a parent who paid about $350,000 to Northwestern, this deal sucks.
I am curious whether Northwestern knew that the agreement was unenforceable and merely agreed to something that would get things back to normal.
(Northwestern never intended to honor the agreement.)
Northwestern might say:
We wanted to give you all these things, but that evil William Jacobsen dropped a dime on us.
I can’t imagine paying $350,000 for an education
I went to a state university in Wisconsin, incredibly cheap in the 70’s… a good university
I was wondering if the Professor would jump on this the first time I heard it. Immediately thought it was BS
Thank you Professor!
Yes, it is insane.
I see that “The $250,000 handshake” has become even more costly
“I am curious whether Northwestern knew that the agreement was unenforceable and merely agreed to something that would get things back to normal.”
There is little doubt in my mind that they did. Of course that is based on the idea that they couldn’t possibly be stupid enough to not know. I’d also assume they had their attorneys look at an highly publicized ‘agreement’.
Having said that, nothing surprises me when it comes to the lack of integrity, honor, courage and wisdom of university administrators anymore.
On the contrary, I think Northwestern intends to honor the agreement even if it is unenforceable. Because this is what they want to do anyway.
Blacks do it for segregated dorms without much hubbub, running on a sympathy move rather than a privilege move. Namely blacks don’t want to be constantly surrounded by people a lot smarter than they are, so the arrangement becomes a comfortable space for them.
A mathematical consequence of affirmative action admissions.
Then the MENA / Muslim dorm might serve the same purposes. It’s interesting that they conflate a region MENA with a religion Islam. It’s almost as if Islam belongs there and doesn’t belong here, hmmm …
They don’t conflate a region with a religion. They use a region as a placeholder for religion because they are just smart enough to know that they can’t use religion, particularly in this context.
Separate but equal was outlawed in Brown v. Board of Education.
Since some university administrations don’t have the courage or integrity to say “No” they need to be firmly reminded that single race dorms are a violation of federal law.
this about sums it up …
https://twitter.com/elderofziyon/status/1785843034694852708
Yup, this is how. Go get them. Expose it all through interrogatories, depositions, and testimony. Get them on record and make it hurt.
What a totally revolting, feckless and indefensible capitulation by Northwestern. Good for the Equal Protection Project, to challenge this disgraceful appeasement carrot. The goose-stepping, genocidal, Islamofascist, Muslim supremacist Fakestinians deserve no charity from anyone.
Tribalism is always bad IMO. In this instance where Automatic Scholarships are being carved out based on tribal membership it also clearly illegal. The sooner we get back to the brief interlude where we didn’t put tribal membership first and we dealt with each other as individuals based on our own actions instead of tribal affiliation the better off our society will become.
Palestine mean Israel, Palestinian means Jew, and this can be argued on the basis of both history and etymology – see Herodotus’ 5th century writing, and David M . Jacobson’s article on the subject noting palaistês not Pelishtim (Philistine) is the basis for Palaistinê, and the people of the land were circumcised – which the Philistines were not, and the Arabs hadn’t then invaded.
Since Northwestern is now providing special options to Palestinians, those of Palestinian background, and MENA backgrounds, this means Jews and Israelis can apply for these opportunities. Or is Northwestern anti-Semitic and refusing to accept candidates that meet the requirements who are Jewish?
Might this be another legal avenue to take?
Ironically the Northwestern president’s name is Schill, because he certainly seems to be schilling for filthy terrorist-lovers.