Students for Justice in Palestine chapter on probation following university investigation
A review of the group's social media posts found evidence of praise for Hamas, endorsements of the intifada, and targeted attacks against "Zionists."
Probation for the university's chapter will limit the organization's activities and operations over the next year.
Adelphi University has placed its Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter on one year of disciplinary probation after finding that the group’s social media activity created a hostile environment for Jewish students.
The decision follows an investigation prompted by a complaint from Israeli-American professor Tuval Foguel, represented by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. The complaint alleged that SJP’s online statements fostered intimidation and exclusion of the Jewish community on the Long Island campus.
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University officials reviewed posts from the chapter’s accounts spanning several months. The content included praise for the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, slogans endorsing the intifada, and statements declaring that Zionists were unwelcome at Adelphi.
The review concluded that the frequency and nature of these posts were both subjectively and objectively offensive, meeting the standard for behavior severe or pervasive enough to interfere with Jewish students’ ability to take part in academic programs or campus life. Administrators determined that a reasonable person identifying as Jewish could feel unsafe or discouraged from participating after viewing the content.
The ruling places the Adelphi SJP chapter under probationary status for the next year. Disciplinary probation for student organizations can include limits on events, additional oversight of communications, and required participation in educational programming.
Adelphi’s SJP will remain on probation until Aug. 7, 2026.
The chapter is left with little opportunity for appeal. According to Adelphi’s decision, appeals from SJP will only be heard if they concern a procedural error, new information, or bias from investigators.
”Adelphi’s decision that its SJP chapter, like SJP chapters at colleges across the country, has created a hostile environment for Jews is an important victory for Adelphi’s beleaguered Jewish community,” Rory Lancman, senior counsel for the Brandeis Center, said in response to Adelphi’s ruling.
”Hopefully, this is the beginning of a real effort on Adelphi’s part to redress the anti-Semitism that SJP, and, sadly, some of its faculty allies, have fomented on campus.”
Adelphi’s action adds to a growing list of disciplinary measures against SJP chapters across the country.