Columbia University caved to the pressure of Jewish students who feared for their lives on campus during pro-Palestinian protests, agreeing to provide “walking escorts,” a “safe passage liaison,” and opportunities to make up missed exams. 

The accommodations are part of a settlement reached in a Manhattan federal court Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by an unnamed female student in her second year at Columbia. She sued Columbia’s trustees in April for allegedly failing to uphold the university’s promise to establish an educational environment free of harassment and discrimination.  

For at least the rest of 2024, Columbia students will have safety escorts to walk them around campus at any time of day. The school will also establish a point-person for students’ safety concerns arising from protests on campus, called a “safe passage liaison.” The settlement will also allow for students who couldn’t finish exams or assignments due to campus protests to request “accommodations.”

Some took to the internet to argue that the new protections do not get at the root of antisemitism on campus and that the problems will persist. They say that Columbia refuses to make all parts of campus safe for Jewish students. “Columbia has settled a civil-rights lawsuit,” one commentator wrote, “by declaring its campus separate-but-equal.”

“The settlement sets a critical standard for safety on Columbia’s campus,” attorney Jay Edelson, whose law firm is representing the student, tells the Sun. “It’s important, too, that these measures respond to the situation as it changes: The liaison’s job is to monitor and ensure that safety concerns are addressed — whether voluntarily by Columbia or with our further involvement.”

A university spokeswoman, Samantha Slater, did not immediately respond to the Sun’s request for comment. The school sent a statement to multiple press outlets saying it is “pleased” it has “been able to come to a resolution and remain committed to our number one priority: the safety of our campus….”

The settlement also stipulates that Columbia show “a continued commitment to the academic tradition of free thought and open debate.” Mr. Edelson is helping organize debates on campus about the issues that gave rise to the recent protests, an initiative his firm calls “Speak for Peace.”

“We’re looking forward to the next phase, which is helping the Columbia community (and we hope universities more broadly) return to real, well-informed debate on these issues,” Mr. Edelson says. He explained that the suit was brought on anonymously because “the student reasonably thought that she might be subject to harassment, threats, or worse if she proceeded publicly.”

The settlement comes just a couple weeks after the university canceled its main commencement following campus chaos over the war in Gaza.

Columbia is facing two other active lawsuits over its response to antisemitism on campus. A student at the School of Social Work, Mackenzie Forrest, who is an Orthodox Jew and Sabbath observer, filed a suit in Manhattan federal court in February. University trustees and President Shafik are ordered to respond to her complaint by July 29. 

In another, similar case opened in February, the group Students Against Antisemitism is filing an amended complaint against the trustees by July 17. Columbia is also facing three active Title VI investigations with the Office for Civil Rights since a pro-Palestinian encampment surfaced on campus in April.