CHICAGO (WLS) — DePaul University has introduced a new “identification verification” procedure, as part of a series of actions advocated by the Chicago Jewish Alliance in response to an incident involving two Jewish students last November.
The recently implemented policy, effective since last Friday, now mandates that students, faculty, and staff temporarily remove any masks or face coverings upon a request made by a Public Safety officer, as outlined in a message sent by President Robert Manuel to the DePaul community.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Last month, a suspect was apprehended and faced charges of aggravated battery and hate crimes after the alleged assault on Max Long and Michael Kaminsky, resulting in a concussion and a broken wrist for the victims.
Following the attack, the Chicago Jewish Alliance met with President Manuel to discuss “the campus climate that led to Max and Michael actually being attacked,” co-founder Josh Weiner previously told the I-Team.
This policy shift comes days before President Manuel is scheduled to testify before a congressional committee hearing centered on “stopping the spread of antisemitism on American campuses.” That hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Manuel will also be joined by the presidents of Haverford and Cal Poly colleges.
The Chicago Jewish Alliance said in a statement, “This policy reflects a direct outcome of the five initiatives we presented to President Manuel on April 17. It’s a step in the right direction-one we pushed for-but policy alone isn’t progress. Implementation is. We welcome DePaul’s willingness to move in this direction and will continue working closely with the administration to ensure these measures are fully enacted, not just announced. Much more remains to be done to make DePaul a safe and accountable environment for all students, including its Jewish community.”
The video in the player above is from an earlier report.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
