David Krieger, NYU’s inaugural Title IV coordinator, addressed students for the first time at a Student Government Assembly meeting on Thursday and spoke about stepping into the role amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on higher education and ongoing protests against the war in Gaza. 

Krieger assumed the position seven weeks ago and is responsible for overseeing complaints related to discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity or religious affiliation. He prefaced his presentation by saying he had a “niche expertise” in “ancestry discrimination” and that he had investigated and mediated complaints brought on behalf of Muslim, Sikh and Jewish students. Kreiger also said the Israel-Palestine conflict has been a “hotbed” at NYU, and that he will address the issue “neutrally.” 

“I was a career official, I was not political,” Kreiger said. “I don’t come with any agenda other than neutral enforcement of the law and certainty of the NDAH policy as it applies here at NYU.”

Krieger cited his 13 years as a senior attorney at the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights — what he called a “neutral, third-party, fact-finding agency” — where he worked throughout the Obama, Biden and both Trump administrations. He said he was “staunchly opposed” to the wrongful discrimination of Hispanic, Muslim and international students after President Donald Trump’s first term-immigration bans, touting himself as a “civil rights warrior.”

Kreiger also said he considers himself a “student-focused” administrator and that as Title VI coordinator, he aims to emphasize the distinction between freedom of speech and conduct that cultivates a “hostile environment.” 

“It’s a fine line to walk, upholding that academic expression but also triaging it,” Krieger said. “If a student or someone else’s conduct crosses the line from academic expression or free speech to harassing, intimidating — actual misconduct — discipline would be warranted.” 

He did not provide examples of conduct violations at recent on-campus protests. In 2020, Krieger was listed as a point of contact in letters to NYU leadership accusing the university of cultivating a “hostile environment” for Jewish students. As a result, NYU reached a settlement with the Education Department in which the university agreed to include discrimination “based on shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics” in its non-discrimination and anti-harassment policy. 

After Oct. 7, 2023, Kreiger said he reached out to federal headquarters to offer support in the wake of heightened tensions across U.S. college campuses. He was then tasked with crafting a training program that addressed issues relating to Israel’s siege in Gaza, and after six weeks, he helped facilitate its implementation throughout the Office of Civil Rights.

Kreiger also said he is “familiar” with student concerns regarding presentations he had given for the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish lobbying organization that has urged NYU to strengthen its crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters. He refuted the concerns and said he had done similar work for Muslim and Hindu organizations. 

At the SGA meeting, SPS graduate student Temuulen Erdenebayar asked whether or not Title VI investigations would be open to the public. In response, Kreiger said that is not the office’s current practice but is a concern that he is willing to “raise and elevate.” 

“They should be raising awareness and giving us a little bit of transparency on how they’re conducting their business,” Erdenebayar told WSN. “At the moment I’m not really sure if I should trust him or not — I would love to ask him more questions.”

Another student asked if Kreiger would only address violations of the NDAH policy when a formal complaint is filed. He said while he does not exclusively take action on formal complaints, the university “only has a duty to respond” if it has notice of discrimination and harassment. 

Krieger was appointed to the role on March 11, just one week after NYU was named in a list of 10 colleges to be investigated by Trump’s antisemitism task force. The position was initially created as part of a July settlement in a lawsuit filed by three Jewish students, who claimed the university was indifferent to incidents of antisemitism on campus. 

“It’s nice that we now have someone who can handle those reports and investigate that,” Ashlie Oxford, the newly elected SGA chair, told WSN. “The way he phrased his presentation was very student centric, and I hope that continues in the new academic year.”

Update, May 2: This article has been updated to clarify David Krieger’s staunch opposition to any form of discrimination or harassment against students.

Contact Leena Ahmed at [email protected].