Cal Poly's antisemitism grade and a pulled research guide. Here's what to know
The Anti-Defamation League raised Cal Poly’s antisemitism report card grade from an F to a C over the past year, but Jewish students and community leaders remain divided over whether the assessment reflects reality.
Plus, a Cal Poly research guide that was criticized by the ADL report card was removed by the university, which cited an improper label. The removal raised questions about academic freedom and how antisemitism is defined.
Here are key takeaways:
- The ADL raised Cal Poly’s antisemitism grade to a C on April 13 after the university created a Jewish alumni group and condemned recent antisemitic incidents, though several Jewish students said the grade still does not match their lived experience on campus.
- Cal Poly students and Jewish life leaders Benjamin Broudy and Avi Shapiro pointed to a thriving Jewish community with weekly Shabbat dinners, kosher dining and active organizations like Chabad and Hillel, with Shapiro saying he has never felt unsafe on campus.
- Third-year student Adira Fogelman has documented negative experiences including anti-Israel bias in classrooms, and she testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in February about her experiences.
- A research guide on Cal Poly student protests and activism by librarian Kyle Tanaka was abruptly removed from the library website in mid-February along with 18 other publications, with the university citing an improper label and the need for institutional review.
- The ADL had previously criticized the 30-page guide for its definition of Zionism and for labeling Cal Poly’s Hillel chapter as a “U.S.-based, pro-Israel national student organization.”
- Tanaka denies the guide contained antisemitic content and warns the removal signals troubling implications for academic freedom, noting that additional research materials were later deleted from the library system.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.