Currently, the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education has opened investigations into five universities and one school district regarding alleged discrimination based on “race, color, or national origin, including discrimination related to shared ancestry,” joining Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and other universities as the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas divides campuses.
Schools Under Investigation
Cobb County School District in Georgia, along with Montana State University, Santa Monica College in California, Tulane University, the University of Cincinnati, and Union College in New York, were added to the list of schools being investigated by the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education earlier this week.
Allegations
The investigations allege potential violations of civil rights law, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, including discrimination related to shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
Tulane University Investigation
Tulane University is currently investigating an incident of discrimination from a rally held on public grounds by a group not affiliated with Tulane University, although a spokesperson said that four “individuals not affiliated with the university” were arrested “as a result of assaults against Tulane students and a Tulane police officer.”
Michael Striker, Assistant Vice President for News and Media Relations, stated to Forbes that Tulane University has “significantly increased security on campus” and enhanced “teaching and training related to anti-Semitism” following the incident, and will fully cooperate with the investigation.
Union College Investigation
Union College issued a statement saying it is under investigation due to accusations that the school “failed to respond appropriately to harassment incidents in October and November 2023,” adding that the college will fully cooperate and “opposes hate in all its forms, including anti-Semitism.”
Montana State University Investigation
Montana State University reported to Forbes that it is investigating “every report of discrimination and threats of violence” it receives, but has not experienced any “threats of violence to its students, faculty, or staff related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that began on October 7,” and added that it will fully cooperate with the federal investigation.
Protests from Muslim Parents in Cobb County
In October, several Muslim parents in Cobb County were upset with the district and spoke to the board after it sent an email about a “global threat” from Hamas that led to “fear and mistreatment in their own community,” according to East Cobb News.
The district spokesperson told Forbes that they were “aware of one complaint, at one school, regarding a reported anti-Muslim incident,” adding that the district “does not tolerate hate in any form.”
Santa Monica College and the University of Cincinnati were contacted for comments.
What to Watch For
What the investigations will yield. Schools that violate the law and fail to address violations may lose federal funding or be referred to the Department of Justice, according to the Department of Education.
Background
The five universities and the school district join at least eight other universities facing federal investigations, including Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and Columbia University, all of which have experienced notable incidents of anti-Semitism or ongoing protests on their campuses since the war began. At Cornell University, a student was arrested in November after threatening Jewish students online, and at Columbia University, a student organization for justice in Palestine and a group called Jewish Voice for Peace were suspended for violating university policies by holding an unauthorized event. The list of schools under investigation was launched as part of President Joe Biden’s commitment to protecting students and addressing “the alarming rise in reported incidents of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia” in schools since Hamas’s attack on October 7 and the ongoing war. The war, now in its third month, has resulted in approximately 17,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the health ministry run by Hamas, while around 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the attack on October 7, according to Israeli officials.
Note
Side Note
In an article published by a student newspaper called Harvard Crimson on Friday, Harvard University President Claudine Gay apologized for comments she made earlier in the week during her testimony before a House committee regarding a separate investigation the university is facing in the realm of education and workforce issues, stating she is “sorry” and that “words matter.” When asked during the session whether calls for the extermination of the Jewish people violate campus policies on harassment and bullying at Harvard, Gay said such speech could be a violation “depending on the context,” leading to calls for her resignation. Following Gay’s remarks, Stanford University issued a statement saying it “vehemently condemns calls for the extermination of Jews or any other peoples,” and that those comments would “clearly violate” Stanford’s code of conduct.
More Information
For more information, please see the following articles:
– “Harvard University Faces Federal Investigation, Here Are the Reasons” by Brian Bouchard.
– “Harvard President Acknowledges Rising Anti-Semitism on Campus During House Hearing” by Brian Bouchard.
– “U.S. Department of Education Investigates 6 Other Schools for Discrimination Amid Israel-Hamas Tensions” by East Cobb News.
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