On Monday, the Education Department said that it would be conducting investigations at five colleges where there have been reports of antisemitic harassment.
Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities are the institutions that are being investigated.
According to a news release from the Education Department, investigations are being conducted in response to the “explosion of antisemitism on American campuses following the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023.”
It referenced Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits people from being discriminated against based on their national origin. This law applies to schools and colleges that receive federal financing.
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order that called for strong action against antisemitism on college campuses.
He promised to prosecute those who commit antisemitic acts and to cancel the visas of overseas students who are proven to be “Hamas sympathizers.”
Civil rights organizations criticized the decision, arguing that the protests were generally peaceful, featured students from various backgrounds, including Jewish students, and that the president’s instruction violated the First Amendment.
Craig Trainor, who is the acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the department, accused the Biden administration of not doing enough to hold institutions accountable for allowing “widespread antisemitic harassment and the illegal encampments that paralyzed campus life last year.”
The department did not give any information regarding the questions or how it determined which schools were being targeted.
Protesters at Berkeley, as well as at several other campuses, have called for the university to withdraw its investments from Israel and to put a stop to the war in Gaza.
Since early last year, there have been protests on campus at Columbia University regarding the Israel-Hamas war and the school’s response to it. Tensions have remained high at the university as a result.
At the close of last year’s semester, the New York Police Department broke up a protest camp on the quad, and hundreds of students were jailed. Columbia would ultimately decide to cancel their graduation ceremony.
Trump Considers Investigation Into Ohio and Kentucky Universities to Address DEI Initiatives
Last year, the presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those who were invited to appear on Capitol Hill as Republicans sought to hold people accountable for claims of antisemitism.
In the face of criticism regarding their management of the protests, a number of university presidents, including Minouche Shafik of Columbia University, stepped down from their positions.
Leave a Comment