University of Pennsylvania Faces Growing Resistance to Compulsory "Registry" of Jewish Students and Faculty
A group of five organizations affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania have filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit that seeks to force Penn to provide lists of its Jewish students, faculty, and staff. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been pressuring the university for months to hand over this information as part of an investigation into antisemitism on campus.
The EEOC initially requested a list of Jewish clubs, rosters of their members, employees in the Jewish Studies program, and personal contact information. When Penn refused to comply, the commission sued the university in November, seeking to compel them to furnish the information. However, the university's resistance has sparked opposition from various groups, including civil rights lawyers.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania, along with other organizations, has filed a motion on behalf of the five groups involved. They include two Jewish organizations, the American Academy of Jewish Research and the Jewish Law Students Association of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, as well as the Penn Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and its Penn chapter.
"This is not about what the stated intent is," said Witold Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "The moment our government begins compiling lists of people based on their religion or ethnicity – especially when those groups have historically faced persecution and worse – we cross a dangerous line."
According to Walczak, these types of registries don't remain benign; they create a tool for discrimination that can be easily weaponized by malicious actors. The EEOC argues it needs this information to contact people who may have experienced antisemitism at Penn.
The controversy surrounding the university's response to antisemitism on campus has been ongoing since 2023, with former President Liz Magill resigning after providing congressional testimony on the school's response to the issue. If the Penn groups' motion is granted, they will join the university in the EEOC lawsuit, potentially blocking the creation of a "centralized registry" of Jewish students and faculty at UPenn.
A group of five organizations affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania have filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit that seeks to force Penn to provide lists of its Jewish students, faculty, and staff. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been pressuring the university for months to hand over this information as part of an investigation into antisemitism on campus.
The EEOC initially requested a list of Jewish clubs, rosters of their members, employees in the Jewish Studies program, and personal contact information. When Penn refused to comply, the commission sued the university in November, seeking to compel them to furnish the information. However, the university's resistance has sparked opposition from various groups, including civil rights lawyers.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania, along with other organizations, has filed a motion on behalf of the five groups involved. They include two Jewish organizations, the American Academy of Jewish Research and the Jewish Law Students Association of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, as well as the Penn Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and its Penn chapter.
"This is not about what the stated intent is," said Witold Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "The moment our government begins compiling lists of people based on their religion or ethnicity – especially when those groups have historically faced persecution and worse – we cross a dangerous line."
According to Walczak, these types of registries don't remain benign; they create a tool for discrimination that can be easily weaponized by malicious actors. The EEOC argues it needs this information to contact people who may have experienced antisemitism at Penn.
The controversy surrounding the university's response to antisemitism on campus has been ongoing since 2023, with former President Liz Magill resigning after providing congressional testimony on the school's response to the issue. If the Penn groups' motion is granted, they will join the university in the EEOC lawsuit, potentially blocking the creation of a "centralized registry" of Jewish students and faculty at UPenn.
they're gettin into this huge fight with the eeo c over makin a list of jewish students & faculty it's like, what's next? registries for everyone based on their ethnicity or relig? 
that's just not right. i think the aclu is doin a great job speakin out against this and protectin people's rights. we gotta be careful who we trust with our personal info 
if they're gonna use it to discriminate, then what's the point? let's focus on buildin a more inclusive community, not makin registries that can be used against us 
. So the EEOC wants a list of Jewish students and staff, but the university is like "nope, that's not how it works". And now these organizations are fighting against it too? 
I get why they don't want to give out personal info, but at the same time, I think it's kinda reasonable for the EEOC to want to make sure people aren't being discriminated against on campus. Can we have a source that says how many Jewish students and staff are even on the list? 
And what exactly does this registry do if someone complains about antisemitism? Is it just for their own records or would they share it with other institutions? 
- like how can we just hand over ppl's personal info to some gov agency? that sounds like a recipe for disaster 
they're taking steps to protect their jewish students & staff, which is what we should all be supporting 
it seems like some groups are just trying to stir up drama by opposing the uni's efforts 
... Like, I get it, there's been some issues with antisemitism on campus and all, but do we really need to make a "registry" of people based on their religion? It sounds like something out of a bad sci-fi movie where the gov't starts tracking down people just because they might be part of a "sensitive group". 
. I mean, what's next? A centralized database for everyone who's ever been offended by something online? It's getting ridiculous.
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- Martin Luther King Jr.
The EEOC is basically saying that if you've experienced antisemitism, you need to register so the authorities can "protect" you. But what about all those times when the authorities end up harming more people than they help? 
It's like playing a game of whack-a-mole - they think they're fighting antisemitism, but really they're just creating a new tool for control.
. I'm no lawyer, but it seems pretty obvious to me that this is exactly what's going to happen - people are going to be targeted and profiled just because of who they are. We need to be careful not to give the government more power than we already have 
. The problem is, I don't think there's a clear solution here - do we just let the EEOC do its thing and risk giving more power to those who'd misuse the info? 
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Image of a person trying to put all their ducks in a row while one duck keeps escaping] 
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A picture of a piece of paper with a giant red X covering the entire registry section]
. I mean, I get it, we gotta be careful and stuff, but do we really need a centralized registry? 
Do they not matter? It's all so... complicated 
. I guess what I'm saying is, can't we just find another way to deal with this stuff that doesn't involve making lists of people? 
this is so messed up 
, it's like they're going back to those scary Nazi days 
or has a disability ? 
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, they're supposed to be protecting people from discrimination, not helping to create more problems 
. This whole thing is just so... frustrating 