University Actions to Improve Arab and Muslim Student Life and Jewish Student Life
Yale has extended its efforts to foster free expression and peaceable assembly on campus through actions that focus on information and resources, organizational structure and support, and learning and training. The university incorporated advice from the Advisory Committees on Arab and Muslim Student Life and Jewish Student Life and input from student, faculty, and alumni groups, resulting in some actions that are similar for all communities as well as some that address community-specific needs. The university’s efforts prior to December 2023 to support the Arab, Jewish, and Muslim student and university communities are outlined here.
University Actions to Improve Arab and Muslim Student Life and to Address Anti-Arab Racism and Islamophobia
Information and Resources
• The Advisory Committee on Arab and Muslim Student Life and other university partners will advise on the development of new web content offering resources related to anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and associated topics.
• The Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA) launched a data dashboard to provide data on reported incidents of protected class discrimination and harassment and is exploring a biannual report.
• University policies and guidelines have been clarified and consolidated on a free expression and peaceable assembly webpage. A companion FAQ page addresses questions from the Yale community relating to free expression and peaceable assembly and will be updated regularly.
Structure and Support
• The university has launched the Free Expression Facilitator Program to strengthen the organizational structure supporting Yale community members engaging in free expression and peaceable assembly activities. A team of specially trained administrators will serve as free expression facilitators and will support events, protests, demonstrations, and gatherings following university policies and guidelines. Facilitators may work in close partnership with Yale Public Safety as facilitators engage with Yale and non-Yale community members during such activities.
• The university will augment existing resources for doxing and other online abuse and harassment by developing additional strategies and engaging internal and external experts to better address doxing and to support those who are doxed.
• The university will continue to expand resources supporting students and other members of the Yale community impacted by protests, demonstrations, and people exercising free speech and free expression. When free expression crosses the line into discrimination or harassment, the university will respond. Concerns about protected class discrimination or harassment can be reported to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility.
Learning and Training
• To complement the immediate and direct actions described above, the university is also responding in ways that are holistic and long-lasting. Learning and training opportunities on topics such as anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and other prejudices will be available to the Yale community and embedded in the existing training programs of many student, faculty, and staff groups.
For example, incoming student and new faculty orientations include presentations on equity, and accessibility with specific examples around Islamophobia; and joint sessions on the Arab, Muslim, and Jewish student experience in relation to anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism are part of the training for free expression facilitators and Yale Public Safety and are included in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences new faculty orientation. Later in the fall semester, the university will engage experts to provide training on anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia and will continue to explore online training and resources.
• An event series advised by a joint Arab, Muslim, and Jewish faculty subcommittee will offer perspectives on topics relating to these communities, and the Whitney Humanities Center will host an academic lecture series on Islamophobia.
• Opportunities for observational and experiential learning to build skills for constructive dialogue and to strengthen community will be offered through the Belonging at Yale Cultivating Conversation initiative in partnership with Restorative Practices at Yale.
University Actions to Improve Jewish Student Life and to Address Antisemitism
Information and Resources
• The Advisory Committee on Jewish Student Life and other university partners will advise on the development of new web content offering resources related to antisemitism and associated topics.
• The Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA) launched a data dashboard to provide data on reported incidents of protected class discrimination and harassment and is exploring a biannual report.
• University policies and guidelines have been clarified and consolidated on a free expression and peaceable assembly webpage. A companion FAQ page addresses questions from the Yale community relating to free expression and peaceable assembly and will be updated regularly.
Structure and Support
• The university has launched the Free Expression Facilitator Program to strengthen the organizational structure supporting Yale community members engaging in free expression and peaceable assembly activities. A team of specially trained administrators will serve as free expression facilitators and will support events, protests, demonstrations, and gatherings following university policies and guidelines. Facilitators may work in close partnership with Yale Public Safety as facilitators engage with Yale and non-Yale community members during such activities.
• The university will augment existing resources for doxing and other online abuse and harassment by developing additional strategies and engaging internal and external experts to better address doxing and to support those who are doxed.
• The university will continue to expand resources supporting students and all other members of the Yale community impacted by protests, demonstrations, and people exercising free speech and free expression. When free expression crosses the line into discrimination or harassment, the university will respond. Concerns about protected class discrimination or harassment can be reported to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility.
Learning and Training
• To complement the immediate and direct actions described above, the university is also responding in ways that are holistic and long-lasting. Learning and training opportunities on topics such as antisemitism and other prejudices will be available to the Yale community and embedded in the existing training programs of many student, faculty, and staff groups.
For example, incoming student and new faculty orientations include presentations on equity, and accessibility with specific examples around antisemitism; and joint sessions on the Jewish, Arab, and Muslim student experience in relation to antisemitism, anti-Arab racism, and Islamophobia are part of the training for free expression facilitators and Yale Public Safety and are included in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences new faculty orientation. Later in the fall semester, the university will engage experts to provide training on antisemitism and will continue to explore online training and resources.
• An event series advised by a joint Jewish, Arab, and Muslim faculty subcommittee will offer perspectives on topics relating to these communities, and the university will continue to promote and support ongoing areas of work, including by the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism and the Yale Program in Jewish Studies.
• Opportunities for observational and experiential learning to build skills for constructive dialogue and to strengthen community will be offered through the Belonging at Yale Cultivating Conversation initiative in partnership with Restorative Practices at Yale.