In November 2023, amid the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia at academic communities across the country, President Harry Elam convened a task force to direct the work of the college’s offices and organizations to prevent or address the occurrence of such activity at Occidental College.

The Task Force directs projects and initiatives consistent with the areas of focus laid out below.

Support for Oxy Students

In collaboration with Occidental’s Office for Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL), Oxy Hillel, the office of Student Leadership Involvement and Community Engagement (SLICE), and Jewish student life advisors, as well as other Jewish students, parents, alumni, and allies, the College has pursued several initiatives to promote Jewish and Israeli students’ well-being and sense of safety on campus. 

College leadership and ORSL will continue to meet with the Muslim Students Association and others to identify ways to uplift Muslim and MENA students on campus, including support for their dietary needs and enhanced devotional spaces.

Educational Outreach

Through the Civil Rights & Title IX Office and Bias Education and Support Team (BEST), the College has launched a preventative, educational campaign to address potential antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias or harassment on campus. This campaign includes: assessment of the current campus environment and potential for harassment; training opportunities for students, faculty, and staff related to identifying, preventing, and reporting antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of harassment; and development of educational materials specifically related to combating antisemitism and Islamophobia. The Civil Rights & Title IX Office and BEST will also continue to promptly respond to any individual complaints they receive, consistent with their respective procedures.

Students have been required to complete an online course on defining diversity, equity and inclusion, identifying categories of difference, and exploring microaggressions and unconscious bias. A similar course for faculty and staff was made available for voluntary completion. Additionally, the task force’s educational outreach working group has offered a variety of educational opportunities, including:

  • A webinar series covering a variety of topics applicable to faculty and staff.
  • Multiple online and in-person opportunities to learn how to identify and intervene when acts of antisemitic, Islamophobic, or xenophobic bias or harassment occur.
  • A variety of new educational materials distributed across campus.

Upcoming educational events

Restorative Conversations

The College has sponsored or promoted various forums for restorative interactions among students, primarily, as well as other members of the Occidental community, which included welcoming Interfaith America to campus on January 25 and 26. The Interfaith America team hosted a series of listening sessions designed to create space for diverse viewpoints to be heard in a neutral setting, and returned a final report for enhancing interfaith cooperation and bridge-building on campus.

Accountability and Support for Student Organizations and Political Activity

In partnership with SLICE, the Facilities Department, the Office of Student Conduct, and Campus Safety, the College reaffirms its commitment to enforcing the Code of Student Conduct, Posting & Publicity Policy, Right to Dissent & Demonstration Policy, and Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy, among other core policies. 

SLICE has coordinated training sessions with student organizations to promote their understanding of College policies and provide information on how to engage in political activism consistent with those policies. 

Individuals or groups who engage in threatening, destructive, harassing, or otherwise impermissible behavior will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. The Office of Student Conduct and the Civil Rights & Title IX Office will continue to promptly address reports that are submitted to their offices, while keeping individual cases confidential.The College also reaffirms its repudiation of doxxing, encourages students and faculty to learn more about protecting their online presence and to immediately report any safety concerns, and will respond to reports of online harassment or doxxing by College community members.

Academic Engagement

Academic departments including sociology, history, politics, diplomacy and world affairs, and the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs have scheduled a series of educational speaker events. 

In addition, faculty are exploring how to expand curricular offerings in this area, and to this end, we encourage and support the development of new interdisciplinary minor programs that will expand the range of our academic discourse about the region. 

Building Capacity for Change

The College is seeking to partner with donors and organizations that are interested in promoting a greater understanding of antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as those who are committed particularly to supporting expansion of Occidental’s related curricular offerings.

Policy Review and Implementation

The College will issue a clarifying policy related to appropriate use of College-affiliated social media accounts, to ensure that such accounts are reviewed by responsible personnel and used to promote the College’s programs and activities. The College will also review the Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy in light of recent guidance from the Office for Civil Rights, to ensure that the policy adequately addresses the trend of increasing antisemitism and Islamophobia on College campuses. The College will also review our policies and resources related to doxxing and online harassment.

Contact the Task Force

If you would like to get in touch with the Task Force, please fill out the online form.

Community Resources

Reporting Resources

Related Offices & On-Campus Support

Related Messages from President Elam

Promoting Safety and Community (Nov. 30, 2023)

Ongoing Support from BEST and the Civil Rights & Title IX Office (Nov. 30, 2023)

Rights, Responsibilities, and the Fabric of Community (Nov. 10)

Drawing on the Culture of Care in Difficult Times (Oct. 13)

Decrying Violence in Israel and Gaza (Oct. 10)

President's Complete Blog