Campus Security Fees: New Burden on Jewish and Zionist Students
Over the past two years, Jewish and Zionist students on campuses faced many challenges, including a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, verbal and physical harassment, feeling of isolation and alienation. However, it did not mean that they stopped being active or assembling for events. As challenging as this might be, the Students Supporting Israel movement alone has executed hundreds of events on college campuses, providing a much-needed outlet for students to gather, reflect, and present pro-Israel views to the academic community at large.
While assembly has remained possible technically speaking, a new challenge has emerged behind the scenes: university administrations in various locations requiring Israel-related events to include added security, handing the security bill to the students requesting to organize the event. Such security fees can range anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, and have been presented on various occasions, whether a movie screening, a speaking tour, or most recently, peaceful October 7 memorials on campuses.
This new phenomenon is alarming and fundamentally skewed.
The financial burden it presents to Jewish and Zionist student groups makes it an obstacle on the way to bringing to campuses quality programs representing the groups’ views. What was supposed to be a small budget event with costs including room rental fees and perhaps a few pizza trays, turns into a significant expense request by the university, or else the event faces a threat of not being approved. It is hard to come by an example of other groups requested a similar payment on campuses, making it a unique Jewish and Zionist “tax,” as students and pro-Israel organizations professionals began calling it.
Placing the burden of security fees on the students is also a renouncement of the universities’ responsibility to provide a safe campus environment allowing for free expression. Academic institutions are committed to the safety of their premises and have the duty of care to maintain law and order in their buildings. Many universities even have security fees incorporated into their tuition package. There should be no view-point discrimination exercised when a Jewish or a Zionist student group approaches with the request to use a campus facility to host an event. This option should be available without added costs to all tuition paying enrolled students, and especially registered campus student groups with good standing status.
Most importantly, the threat of any misconduct, as has been seen over the past two years, is not coming from the Jewish or the Zionist students’ side. The pro-Israel students are not the ones who spent time disrupting classes, vandalizing buildings, blocking libraries, or harassing the campus community as a whole with illegal encampments across the country. Any threats of disorderly conduct are coming from the students who oppose Israel’s existence, but this is not something administrations will speak about. Rather, the explanations provided by the universities to impose such fees include statements such as this is a “risk management practice,” it is here to “ensure the wellbeing of participants and the campus community” and that security is for “events that may draw heightened attention or occur within politically sensitive contexts.” It is easier to present the organizers of pro-Israel events with the security bill than to actually contain those opposing any such events, similarly to it being easier to condemn “all hate” than to publicly call out clear antisemitism.
While not every campus is requesting additional payment for security measures, and some institutions do go above and beyond to maintain everyone’s safety, the examples recently emerging are substantial enough to point out an alarming trend. It is a warning call to students who may encounter such a security request while trying to organize an event with content in support of Israel, to know that it should not be the norm. Students should not shy away from challenging the university on any added security costs that seem to be outside the scope of their responsibility. Thus far, on all occasions where such unreasonable fees were presented to the SSI chapters, after confronting the university about the unfairness of such practice the security fees were entirely reversed or significantly decreased.
For the universities, it is a reminder that minority groups should not be forced to crowdsource to support their own safety on campuses. Jewish and Zionist students should feel protected and supported to express their opinions, not be placed in front of a choice between being able to organize or remain safe. It is also a plea to unequivocally condemn any threats and truly hold accountable those who violate your set codes of conduct, making sure campuses remain a safe and welcoming place for all.
