Balancing Academic Freedom and Community Conduct in Critical Times

Facilitating Open Dialogues and Fostering Community Safety

Following the October 7, 2023 attacks and the aftermath in Gaza, several students at NYU experienced doxxing and harassment after expressing their viewpoints. Doxxing violates NYU’s policies, as the University shared in its Guidance and Expectations on Student Conduct.

Student Affairs has developed this site in consultation with the Student Government Assembly, following SGA’s advocacy to ensure students have resources if they are the victims of doxxing and to highlight university speech and anti-harassment policies, noting the particular upswell in pro-Palestinian students experiencing doxxing. To further efforts to address these issues, the following tool kit includes resources related to doxxing for all students. This page also provides summaries of relevant policies as of the date of this site’s posting in April 2024; please always be sure to check direct links for the most up-to-date language.

Jump to: Academic Freedom | Student Demonstrations On-Campus | Expectations on Community Conduct | Doxxing Prevention and Resources

What is Doxxing?

Doxxing is sharing certain private information concerning a fellow community member for the purpose of harassment or other policy violations, such as violence. This may include the sharing of personal information such as addresses or other contact information. NYU treats doxxing as violating the University’s prohibition from the Student Conduct Policy on “endanger[ing] or compromis[ing] the health or safety of ... another person, or the general University community,” and may be subject to conduct proceedings.

Doxxing primarily occurs online, on social media, listservs, or websites dedicated to publishing this type of information.

There are external organizations and platforms that target and doxx individuals who express themselves and their views. If you or someone you know is affected by this, support is available to you through our Victim Services resources.

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Academic Freedom

As stated in the Student Conduct Policy, “[t]he University is a community where the means of seeking to establish truth are open discussion and free discourse. It thrives on debate and dissent, which must be protected as a matter of academic freedom within the University, quite apart from the question of constitutional rights. The University also recognizes that a critically engaged, activist student body contributes to NYU’s academic mission. Free inquiry, expression, and association enhance academic freedom and intellectual engagement.”

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Student Demonstrations On-Campus

NYU is fully committed to providing an environment where our students can live and learn in peace and where threats, harassment, intimidation, and violence have no place. Typically, if an on-campus demonstration escalates to the point of a safety concern or a policy violation, a Campus Safety Officer (CSO) will engage the participants of the protest, articulate concerns, including observed policy violation(s), and ask participants to provide NYU ID.

Typically, a student affairs liaison will also be involved and will promote compliance with University policy. The liaisons may ask the protest organizers to move locations (for example, if emergency exits or entry into a building is being obstructed), to refrain from causing a disturbance, or to conclude the demonstration because rules are being violated.

The NYU Department of Campus Safety may take the following steps (list not exhaustive) in the event of disruption, protest or demonstration: secure doors, restrict access, request NYU ID, document with an audio or video device, or shut down or relocate an event. For damage to property or criminal acts, law enforcement will be notified.

During emergencies, the NYU community should follow the commands of first responders and emergency response personnel.

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Expectations on Community Conduct

Students should expect to be held accountable for engaging in behavior that disrupts academic activities, University operations, or others’ pursuit of their educational objectives, or breaking the rules or threatening or harassing and violating our student conduct policy.

As stated in the Student Conduct Policy, the policy is not intended to discipline students or student organizations for asserting one’s rights of academic freedom, scholarly classroom dissent, or civil discourse, nor hinder organized, nonviolent, peaceful protest. However, such conduct must occur within the standards set forth in Section III of the policy and other applicable University policies, which include those on discrimination, harassment, and rules impacting the time, place, and manner of dissent and discourse.

If any community member believes another community member's behavior violates a policy, they should review the reporting options available below and file a report for the issue to be reviewed by the appropriate office.

Understanding Prohibited Discrimination

As explained in the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, prohibited discrimination is adverse treatment of any student based on actual or perceived race, sex, gender and/or gender identity or expression, color, religion, creed, age, national origin, ethnicity, shared ancestry or ethnic characteristic, disability, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship status, or genetic information rather than based on the student’s merit. Prohibited discrimination also includes any conduct that constitutes illegal discrimination under the law of the jurisdiction where the conduct occurs.

Understanding Prohibited Harassment

As explained in the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, prohibited harassment is unwelcome verbal or physical conduct based on actual or perceived race, sex (including unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature), gender and/or gender identity or expression, color, religion, creed, age, national origin, ethnicity, shared ancestry or ethnic characteristic, disability, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship status, or genetic information that, from the viewpoint of a reasonable person under all the relevant circumstances, would create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive academic or residential environment or otherwise adversely affect the individual’s academic opportunities or participation in an NYU program, activity, or benefit. Prohibited harassment also includes any conduct that constitutes illegal discrimination under the law of the jurisdiction where the conduct occurs.

Examples of Discrimination and Harassment

Examples of actions that can constitute prohibited discrimination or harassment include, but are not limited to:

Repeated verbal abuse or use of racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Arab, or anti-Semitic slurs or hostile behavior, which could include insulting, teasing, mocking, degrading, or ridiculing another person or group regardless of whether the person is a member of the group;
Denying access to or refusing to allow an individual to participate in any program or activity or service of the University, including, for example, refusing to grant a student some expected benefit (e.g., such as a letter of recommendation) because of how an individual looks (e.g., because the individual has or lacks stereotypical physical features of a certain ethnic group or conforms or fails to conform to gender stereotypes), dresses (e.g., because the individual wears religious or ethnic attire such as a kippah, Star of David, turban, or hijab or burka), or on the basis of the individual’s language (e.g., because the individual speaks a particular language or English with a certain accent), or on the basis of the individual’s actual or perceived religious identity, or the individual’s actual or perceived association with a religious organization or religious student club, or because that student is actually or perceived to be from a particular country or region;
Defacing an individual’s property with hateful symbols such as a swastika or noose;
Discrimination is based on the country, world region, or place where a person or their ancestors come from or are perceived to come from, or due to a person’s English proficiency. Prohibited conduct includes discrimination based on certain perceptions of, which may be described as hatred toward, religious and ethnic groups, such as Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Arab, Hispanic, or Latinx students. For example, anti-Semitism, which is a certain perception of Jews that may be expressed as hatred toward Jews, includes certain rhetorical and physical manifestations directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions, and toward religious facilities, is prohibited;
Inappropriate physical contact, comments, questions, advances, jokes, epithets, or demands based on one or more protected or perceived protected characteristics;
Physical assault, intimidation, or stalking on the basis of one or more protected or perceived protected characteristics or
Displays or electronic transmission of derogatory, demeaning, or hostile materials related to one or more protected or perceived protected characteristics.

Understanding Retaliation

Retaliation means any adverse action taken against an individual for making a good faith report of a violation of this policy or participating in any investigation or proceeding under this policy. Retaliation includes threatening, intimidating, harassing or any other conduct that would discourage a reasonable person from engaging in activity protected under this policy.

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Doxxing Prevention and Resources

We have compiled top resources and assistance for those facing the harmful effects of doxxing. Whether you're a student who has been targeted or you're seeking information to protect yourself and your peers, you've come to the right place. We aim to empower you with the knowledge and support needed to navigate and mitigate the impacts of doxxing. Explore our resources, guidance, and support networks tailored specifically for dealing with this issue. You're not alone.