Williams College, a private liberal arts school in Massachusetts, has prevented an Orthodox Jewish student from observing Shabbat, according to a complaint filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.
The complaint says the college rejected requests by the student, whose name was not released, for a regular key to his dormitory room for use on Shabbat, when Jewish law prohibits him from using an electronic card to unlock a door.
The complaint alleges that Williams violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against the student on the basis of religion. It says the college failed to provide him full and equal access to required campus housing and meals.
“Williams College has repeatedly treated the student’s religious practice as incompatible with residential life on campus and has made him feel unwelcome as a full-fledged and equal member of its campus community due to his religious beliefs,” the complaint says. “Before the school year began, the College discouraged him from living on campus due to his religion, telling him not to come to Williams if he could not 'deal with' challenges he would face observing his religious practice.”
According to the complaint, the student was effectively locked out of his residence hall many times on Shabbat and was forced to wait outside, sometimes in freezing weather for more than an hour, hoping another student who lived in the building would let him in.
On several occasions, the student asked college officials, including housing administrators, for a key to access the building, the complaint says. His requests were repeatedly denied for unspecified “safety concerns.”
As a result, the complaint says, the student suffered embarrassment, humiliation, social stigma and emotional distress. It says he often had to remain in his dorm room on Shabbat to avoid being locked out of the building if he left.
The complaint also alleges that Williams discriminated against the student over his request for kosher food. It says the college refused to provide kosher meals and instead offered vegan meals, which the student could not eat because they were not kosher.
Williams College requires most students to live on campus for all four years, according to the complaint. Despite that requirement, the complaint says, the college repeatedly denied the student’s requests for religious accommodations.