Rutgers University–New Brunswick – Suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine

Summary

On December 12, 2023, Rutgers University issued an interim suspension of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at its New Brunswick campus. In a letter from the Office of Student Conduct, administrators stated that the organization had allegedly violated university policies including “disruptive or disorderly conduct,” failure to comply with university directives, and improper use of university space. The letter stated that the university had received complaints that members had disrupted “classes, a program, meals, and students studying,” and that administrators could impose an interim suspension when there was a “reasonable basis to conclude” that the continued activities of the student organization posed “a substantial and immediate threat to the safety and well-being of others.” The organization was given two business days to appeal the interim suspension.

The interim suspension was lifted January 17, 2024, after Rutgers reviewed the organization’s appeal and reinstated the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. The university stated that the conduct case had been resolved after reviewing complaints that the group had disrupted classes and other university functions, including protests in nonpublic forums. Although the organization was reinstated, Rutgers placed the chapter on disciplinary probation through December 2024 and imposed educational sanctions.

A second suspension followed July 25, 2024, when Rutgers notified the organization that it had violated the terms of its probation and other conduct policies. The university stated that the group had engaged in disruptive or disorderly conduct, failed to comply with university directives, and disrupted final exams and university operations. Reports indicated that campus protest activity had delayed or forced the cancellation of multiple final examinations during the spring semester. Rutgers stated that the organization would remain suspended until July 4, 2025. During that period the chapter was not recognized by the university and was barred from reserving rooms, holding meetings, organizing protests or marches, participating in campus activities, joining intramural sports, or serving on university councils. The Facebook page for Students for Justice in Palestine at New Brunswick currently states that “This organization is no longer affiliated with Rutgers University—New Brunswick.”

The suspension at Rutgers occurred within a broader national context in which Students for Justice in Palestine chapters drew heightened scrutiny following actions by the Trump administration directing federal investigations into alleged anti-Semitism on college campuses and emphasizing that universities receiving federal funding could face consequences for failing to address complaints of discrimination against Jewish students. Chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine at universities across the United States were suspended, investigated, or placed on interim restrictions for protests, demonstrations, encampments, or social-media activity that administrators said violated campus policies.