- Legislation
- S4547
- Status
- Pending
- Introduced
- June 2025
- Full Text
- Read S4547
This bill requires Rutgers, the State University to adopt a Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy for Students and Student Groups and other measures to ensure community safety and academic functions. The bill directs the governing boards of Rutgers, the State University to adopt a Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy for Students and Student Groups. The policy is to include, at a minimum; · the establishment of clear and fair time, place, and manner parameters for protest activities that will avoid disruption of academic activities;· provisions for the application of consistent, rigorous, and effective disciplinary actions for violations of its rules;· a provision requiring all individuals who engage in protests or demonstrations, including those who wear face masks or face coverings, to, when asked, present their university identification to the satisfaction of a university Public Safety officer or other university representative;· the incorporation of a specific definition of “antisemitism.” The bill directs Rutgers, the State University to identify and implement effective techniques to be used by university staff, including university public safety, during protests and demonstrations that enable the identification of individuals who violate university rules. The bill provides that any student identified as violating the Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy for Students and Student Groups is to be referred to the Office of Student Conduct for disciplinary sanctions. The bill directs Rutgers, the State University to expand its public safety personnel and provide certain training. The bill requires Rutgers, the State University to establish adequate oversight and support of student groups. Under the bill, sanctions for violations of the Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy for Students and Student Groups are to be determined by the Office of Student Conduct and may include actions to defund, suspend, or derecognize a student group. The bill directs Rutgers, the State University to:· develop a training module on the Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy for Students and Student Groups and requires each student and student group to annually complete the training; · designate one or more staff members to conduct a thorough review of the portfolio of programs that engage in the scholarly examination of regional areas, starting with the Middle East;· expand its faculty searches to ensure intellectual diversity among faculty, course offerings, and scholarship; · review its admissions procedures to ensure they reflect best practices and make recommendations to the President for improvements that ensure unbiased admission processes; and · develop and adopt a university policy of institutional neutrality; create opportunities for constructive dialogue programing with the goal of improving dialogue among those with differences of opinion, and engaging with others with different and distinct viewpoints.