Assemblyman John McGowan (R,C-Rockland) has taken action to address the acts of violence and antisemitism on SUNY and CUNY college campuses. He has joined his colleagues in the Assembly Minority in introducing the “Dismantling Student Antisemitism Act ''(DSA Act) in reaction to the Oct. 7th Hamas terrorist attacks, which have caused a 400% increase in antisemitic threats. The DSA Act will require all colleges in New York State to implement an antisemitic training program as well as the following measures:

• Establish and implement a training program for all current and new employees, and require all college and university administrators, faculty, staff and students to attend training seminars;
• Consult with an expert in the areas of antisemitism awareness, prevention and Jewish history and culture to conduct the training;
• Provide information about such policies and procedures to the State Education Department on an annual basis;
• Make information available to the public regarding who to contact with questions regarding the policy and how to report violations of this policy; and
• Failing to comply with the requirements of the legislation would result in withholding of state aid until such requirements are met.

“The recent acts of violence and hatred should not be tolerated–it is utterly repulsive. The DSA Act will help guide college administration in effective ways to combat antisemitism and that is why I stand with my colleagues on a path in the right direction to put a stop to any unprovoked hate crime that we are witnessing across the state,” said McGowan. “Let us remember the horrendous acts throughout history and be sure to never repeat or allow those again.”