Reed College to adopt sweeping reforms to combat campus Jew-hatred under ADL, Brandeis settlement

Reed College in Portland, Oregon, has settled a federal civil rights complaint filed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. The complaint, filed in September 2024, alleged that Reed failed to adequately address escalating antisemitic harassment against a Jewish student following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, leading the student to transfer.

• Under the agreement, Reed will incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism, including its contemporary examples, into its nondiscrimination policy.
• The policy will explicitly state that "targeting Jews on the basis of their Zionist identity for adverse treatment is a form of national origin discrimination on the basis of shared ancestry."
• Reed will appoint a Title VI coordinator, retain an independent consultant for three years to review discrimination complaints, and provide mandatory anti-discrimination training for student leaders and incoming students.
• Kenneth L. Marcus of the Brandeis Center stated, "This settlement is what accountability looks like, and it shouldn't be the exception—it should be the standard every school holds itself to before, not after, a student gets hurt."

Reed College does not admit wrongdoing, with President Audrey Bilger and Board Chair Deborah Kamali stating the agreement is an "opportunity to strengthen Reed's ability to recognize and respond thoughtfully to all forms of discrimination."