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The New School in New York now faces a federal lawsuit that accuses the university of turning a blind eye — and worse — while a Jewish student was allegedly harassed, threatened, and even physically assaulted on campus. The complaint, brought on behalf of former Parsons student Sophie Shabot by the Lawfare Project with co‑counsel Arnold & Porter, was filed on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. If true, the allegations paint a picture of a campus that prized performative politics over student safety.
What the lawsuit alleges
The complaint says Sophie Shabot endured repeated incidents after the October attacks: being blocked from buildings, shoved and spat on, surrounded for speaking Hebrew, vandalism of her workspace, and a bottle thrown in her direction. She claims she reported named attackers and turned over photos and video, but university officials failed to enforce rules or discipline perpetrators. The suit brings federal Title VI national‑origin discrimination claims, New York state and city human‑rights and civil‑rights claims, and common‑law counts like negligent infliction of emotional distress. It seeks damages, punitive relief, and a jury trial.
Allegations about leadership and encampments
Among the sharper accusations: The New School allegedly allowed unauthorized encampments to operate and limited police access to campus buildings. The complaint also contends that then‑interim president Donna Shalala praised encampment participants and, in a widely reported claim, gave them money for dinner while posing for a photograph with a student later identified as an assailant. Joel Towers is named as The New School’s president today; the lawsuit challenges whether campus leadership protected Jewish students or protected protest activity instead.
Why this case matters
This lawsuit is not an isolated grievance. It joins a wave of Title VI and related suits aiming to hold universities accountable for campus antisemitism and for how they handle protests and encampments. If the case survives early legal challenges, discovery could force universities to produce documents and testimony showing how decisions were made. Past litigation has already produced big settlements and policy changes at other schools — and trustees, donors, and parents should pay attention. Universities that promise safe learning environments must be able to back those promises, no matter how politically fashionable a protest might be.
Call for accountability and a plain finish
Colleges like The New School market themselves as havens for “progressive minds,” which usually means loud slogans and creative fury. But progressivism with no basic rule of law is just chaos in skinny jeans. If these allegations are true, the trustees and president must answer for letting a climate of intimidation flourish on campus. The courts will sort the legal issues; public pressure should do the rest. Jewish students — like every student — deserve protection, order, and the right to learn without fear. That’s not conservative or liberal; it’s basic decency, and it’s past time campuses lived up to it.
