Law enforcement officers clear out a pro-Hamas protest encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Los Angeles, California, US, May 2, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/David Swanson

My senior year at UCLA was engulfed in anti-Jewish fervor. Frightening and dangerous protests erupted across our campus, Jewish students were shunned and ostracized, and administrators failed to hold students and professors accountable for breaking campus policies and violating the rights of Jewish students.

After 18 months of a vicious cycle — discrimination, protests, and administrative inaction — it felt as though many people accepted, and even embraced, this new normal within academia.

But after reading UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk’s announcement of an “Initiative to Combat Antisemitism,” I am hopeful we are moving in the right direction.

Previous attempts to address campus hostility towards Jewish students have been little more than Band-aid solutions.

UCLA’s “Four-Point Plan for a Safer, Stronger UCLA,” announced in September 2024, acknowledged the need for change but barely mentioned antisemitism or the events that prompted the plan in the first place.

Similarly, UCLA’s updated Time, Place, and Manner policies have failed to deter groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine (GSJP) from disturbing university functions while spewing hateful rhetoric.

Chancellor Frenk was the first UCLA leader to take action beyond merely condemning violence in words.

In February, he suspended SJP and GSJP after they organized a protest outside the home of UC Regent Jay Sures — an incident in which they harassed him, vandalized his property with red handprints (a symbol of Jewish death), and prevented a family member from leaving their home. Moreover, Frenk’s latest statement spotlighted antisemitism and antisemitism only — finally providing Jewish students with the recognition and respect they have long deserved.

As a UCLA alum who endured the consequences of my administration’s empty promises, I am certainly skeptical of whether Chancellor Frenk will remain committed to enforcing his policies. But in less than three months in office, he has already done more than his predecessors. At a time when Jewish students need even a glimmer of hope to push through the darkness that has clouded campus life — especially since October 7 — this initiative could be that light.

As Jews, we are constantly defending our identities and our homeland. As Jewish students, we are constantly defending Jewish history and the reality of our experiences on campus. While Jewish students continue to mourn and suffer unimaginable losses, they should — at the very least — be able to walk through campus freely and unafraid.

When Chancellor Frenk wrote that antisemitism “threatens the mission of academia and is antithetical to the values that define the very essence of a university,” it became apparent to me that he seems to recognize what other UCLA leaders have not — a deeper root to the problem.

Discrimination has no place on a college campus — and neither do distorted narratives nor negligent administrators. Universities should be institutions that value diversity of thought, not echo chambers that legitimize trendy ideologies, especially ideologies of hate.

Our instinct to defend ourselves and educate others stems from a deep love for our people and our home. But explaining ourselves over and over again is exhausting. I hope that by listening to Jewish students, Chancellor Frenk truly hears them. And beyond hearing them, I hope he continues to ask questions, to seek understanding, and to act.

One of the greatest losses in academia since October 7, 2023, has been the ability to listen with an open mind. If someone has already decided who a Jewish person is, they may listen to our stories, but will never truly hear us. If their minds are already made up about what is happening on campus, then any attempt to listen to Jewish students is done in vain.

Students need more than sympathy or performative action — they need tangible progress on campus. Hopefully, Chancellor Frenk can follow through and protect students in the way they deserve.

Emily Samuels is a recent graduate of UCLA.