By: Ilana Siyance

The Fall semester is set to start at colleges across the state. Gov. Kathy Hochul is meeting with university presidents with hopes that this semester will not mirror last year—erupting in anti-Israel riots, vandalism and violence. As reported by the NY Post, on Monday afternoon the governor had a “super Zoom” meeting scheduled with presidents from both public and private universities across New York state to discuss safety plans for the upcoming academic year.

Since the deadly surprise attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7th, anti-Semitism has peaked, and Jewish students and even teachers have become the target of pro-Palestinian violence and threats, with pro-Hamas agitators also infiltrating campus demonstrations.

“Governor Hochul is committed to ensuring every single college student can learn in a safe environment,” Hochul spokesman Avi Small told The NY Post on 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 anti-Semitism in New York.”

The governor’s office has developed an inter-agency plan to focus on campus safety— including representatives from the executive chamber, NYS Police and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Gov. Hochul directed her team to collaborate with universities in hopes of a safe return to campuses this fall. This is not the first meeting set up with the schools. Previously, Kathryn Garcia, the director of State Operations, was deployed to meet with school leaders to discuss their course of action.

“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.

Per the NY Post, the governor has not yet released a report she initiated last fall to probe alleged anti-Semitism at City University of New York campuses. The investigation was led by former top state judge Jonathan Lippman.

The anti-Israel chaos on campuses peaked last Spring. At City College’s Harlem campus, anti-Israel criminals made over $3 million in damages and led to the need for extra taxpayer-funded security. Earlier this month, Columbia University’s embattled president Minouche Shafik finally announced her resignation after pro-Hamas demonstrators took over and vandalized Hamilton Hall. Police arrested dozens of people but almost all of the perpetrators evaded expulsion or prosecution, per the NY Post. Columbia, Cornell University and Cooper Union are among the universities being

investigated by the US Department of Education, following complaints of raging campus antisemitism and Islamophobia. In June, CUNY made a settlement agreement with the DOE to resolve nine discrimination complaints alleging antisemitism, Islamophobia and other harassment incidents, including some that occurred before Oct. 7.

Jewish advocacy groups, including Hillel International and the Secure Community Network, recently announced their own campus safety measures to help protect Jewish students and staff at over 50 colleges across the country for the fall semester. The plan, entitled Operation Secure Our Campuses, includes training to instruct Jewish students to develop situational awareness skills, what to do when confronted by protestors and how to report incidents to the police. Per the Jerusalem Post, the plan will also include full-time intelligence analysts monitoring campus developments as well as consultations on physical security, emergency plans, and procedures.