NYU's Guidance and Expectations on Student Conduct- Nondiscrimination and anti-harassment ("NDAH")

Relevant Excerpt

Our NDAH Policy defines discrimination as adverse treatment based on an actual or perceived protected characteristic.  Harassment is defined as unwelcome verbal or physical conduct based on an actual or perceived protected characteristic that, from the viewpoint of a reasonable person under all the relevant circumstances, would create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive academic or residential environment or otherwise adversely affect the individual’s academic opportunities or participation in an NYU program, activity, or benefit. Policy violations occur when discrimination or harassment is based in racism, colorism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, sexism, transphobia, ableism and other forms of bigotry involving protected characteristics covered by the policy.

Some examples of activities that would violate the NDAH Policy include:

• Refusing to work with each other, or the application of any type of “litmus test” for participation in any academic activity, based on identity.
• Targeting someone for harassment or intimidation on the basis of their identity, their religious attire, their name, their language spoken, their accent, or their association with a religious organization or identity-related student club.
• Ostracism based on identity, such as refusing entry to an open event.
• Use or dissemination of tropes about protected groups.
• Calls for genocide of an entire people or group.
• Actions taken against someone based on their field of study, course enrollment, or study abroad participation could provide evidence of discriminatory motive for NDAH purposes–for example, vandalizing the office doors in a particular department tied to the study of a country or region.

Using code words, like “Zionist,” does not eliminate the possibility that your speech violates the NDAH Policy.  For many Jewish people, Zionism is a part of their Jewish identity.  Speech and conduct that would violate the NDAH if targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the NDAH if directed toward Zionists.  For example, excluding Zionists from an open event, calling for the death of Zionists, applying a “no Zionist” litmus test for participation in any NYU activity, using or disseminating tropes, stereotypes, and conspiracies about Zionists (e.g., “Zionists control the media”), demanding a person who is or is perceived to be Jewish or Israeli to state a position on Israel or Zionism, minimizing or denying the Holocaust, or invoking Holocaust imagery or symbols to harass or discriminate.