Gov. Kathy Hochul will meet virtually with New York college presidents as officials try to prevent more campus chaos after spring anti-Israel protests descended into vandalism and violence.
The “super Zoom” meeting is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon and will include presidents from both public and private universities across the Empire State to discuss safety plans for the new academic year, The Post has learned.
Classes begin this week or after Labor Day for most colleges and officials are on high alert after previous protests fueled antisemitism and had Jewish students on edge.
“Governor Hochul is committed to ensuring every single college student can learn in a safe environment,” Hochul spokesman Avi Small told The Post Sunday.
“To that end, she is convening public and private college presidents from across New York to discuss their safety plans for the upcoming semester and reiterate that there is no place for hate, bias or antisemitism in New York,”
The governor’s office has developed an inter-agency plan to address campus safety, which includes representatives from the executive chamber, New York State Police and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
Hochul directed her team to work with colleges to ensure a safe return to campuses this fall, previously deploying the director of State Operations, Kathryn Garcia, to meet with school leadership to discuss their action plans.
“We want to know your safety plans. What are you doing to get ready to protect your students on campus? Because every student has a right to walk and go to class freely and not be harassed,” Hochul said last week, in anticipation of the meeting.
Hochul has yet to release a report she ordered last fall to investigate alleged antisemitism at City University of New York campuses. The probe is headed by former top state judge Jonathan Lippman.
The ongoing Gaza conflict — sparked after the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — fueled protests across the country. New York colleges saw clashes on campus with both large pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian student populations. Outside pro-Hamas agitators also infiltrated campus demonstrations.
Columbia University’s embattled president Minouche Shafik recently announced her resignation after tumult that included pro-Hamas demonstrators taking over and vandalizing Hamilton Hall. Police arrested dozens of people but nearly all escaped prosecution and expulsion.
At City College’s Harlem campus, anti-Israel criminals caused at least $3 million in damages and the need for extra security funded by taxpayers.
At at The Cooper Union, 10 Jewish students filed a federal civil rights suit saying school officials failed to protect them and their classmates from antisemitism during a 2023 incident where they while locked in the campus library as angry pro-Palestinian protesters marched nearby.
Columbia, Cornell University and Cooper Union are also among the schools being investigated by the US Department of Education over complaints of rampant campus antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Meanwhile, CUNY in June entered into a settlement agreement with the DOE to resolve nine discrimination complaints alleging antisemitism, Islamophobia and other harassment incidents — including many that happened before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
Jewish advocacy groups — the Secure Community Network and Hillel International — recently announced campus safety measures to help protect Jewish students and staff at more than 50 colleges and universities across the country for the fall semester.
The training will instruct Jewish students on what to do when confronted by protestors and how to report incidents to police.
