Overview
- The Louis D. Brandeis Center filed a complaint with HUD on Thursday alleging Williams violated the Fair Housing Act by denying a first-year Orthodox student equal access to dorms and meals because of his religion.
- The complaint says the student cannot use an electronic key on Shabbat, when observant Jews avoid operating electronics, and he was left outside his dorm for long stretches in freezing weather after being denied a physical key.
- In a February meeting, President Maud Mandel allegedly rejected his request for a metal key, telling him it would trigger an alarm, and the filing calls the college’s suggested escort option unreliable.
- The filing also alleges the college offered vegan dinners instead of supervised kosher meals, that prepackaged kosher food from the Jewish Religious Center made him ill, and that he now relies on off‑campus options.
- Williams said it has no tolerance for discrimination and welcomes talks with the student and the Brandeis Center, while the complaint seeks immediate Sabbath access to dorms and improved kosher accommodations.