WASHINGTON – The University of Michigan and the City University of New York failed to adequately investigate whether campus protests and other incidents in response to the Israel-Hamas war created a hostile environment for students, faculty and staff, according to the results of the Department’s investigations. of US Education. Department announced Monday.
The agreements are the first investigations to reach a conclusion among dozens launched by the Department of Education since October 7, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights investigated 75 cases of alleged discrimination and harassment at the University of Michigan based on shared Jewish ancestry and shared Palestinian or Muslim ancestry. The investigation found that the university’s responses did not meet its Title VI requirements to remediate the hostile environment.
In one case, when a Jewish student reported being called out for seeing a graduate instructor’s social media post about pro-Palestinian topics, the university told the student that “formal conflict resolution is not a path forward.” right now,” because the incident occurred on social media.
In another case, when a student who participated in a pro-Palestine protest was called a “terrorist,” the university said it held “restorative circles” to resolve the incident but took no further action.
In its settlement agreement, the University of Michigan agreed to administer a climate assessment, implement additional training, and review its policies as necessary. It also agreed to monitoring by the Office for Civil Rights through the end of the 2026 school year, reporting to the department its responses to future incidents of discrimination.
The department also announced the resolution of nine outstanding complaints against schools in the City University of New York system dating back to the 2019-20 school year.
These incidents include harassment and unequal treatment of students based on shared Jewish, Palestinian, Arab, Muslim or South Asian ancestry.
The university system agreed to reopen or initiate investigations into discrimination complaints and provide the findings to the Office for Civil Rights and report any corrective measures the university would take. The resolution also included increased training for both staff and campus security officers, as well as a climate survey and a third-party review of non-discrimination policies.
Complaints of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have led to inquiries at more than 100 universities and school districts, including Harvard and Yale, community colleges and public schools from Los Angeles to suburban Minneapolis.
The complaints vary widely, but all accuse the schools of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin. Colleges and schools are required to protect students from discrimination, and when they fail to do so, the Department of Education can invoke penalties up to and including the cancellation of federal money.
Protests against the Israel-Hamas war turned around the last weeks of the school year on many campuses across the country, with some canceling graduation ceremonies or moving classes online after pro-Palestinian protesters took hold camps in campus spaces.
The protests have tested schools as they aim to balance free speech rights and student safety. The Department of Education has issued guidance detailing schools’ responsibilities around Title VI, but the results of the agency’s investigations could provide a clearer line showing where political speech turns into harassment.
Finding that boundary has been a struggle for colleges as they grapple with rhetoric that means different things to different people. Some corners Commonly used by pro-Palestine activists are seen by some as anti-Semitic, including “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “intifada revolution”.
However, some complaints say Arab and Muslim students have faced abuse only to be ignored by campus officials. At Harvard, the Department of Education is investigating separate complaints, one about alleged anti-Semitism and another about alleged Islamophobia.
More investigations are expected to be resolved in the coming weeks, but Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said his agency is struggling to keep up with the influx of cases.
Republicans have rejected calls for increased funding for the Office for Civil Rights in recent years, while the average caseload has risen to 42 per investigator by 2023. Without more money, that number could rise to more than 70 cases per investigator, Cardona said .
“We desperately need additional support to ensure we can investigate the cases before us,” Cardona told House members in May.
On average, cases take around six to eight months to resolve. The vast majority of the agency’s civil rights investigations end with voluntary resolutions. Schools often promise to resolve any lingering problems and take steps to protect students in the future.
While the Department of Education investigates, several colleges and school districts have been called separately to Congress to respond to allegations of anti-Semitism. Republicans held a series of hearings on the issue, grilling leaders accused of condoning anti-Semitism.
The hearings contributed to the resignation of some university leaders, including Liz Magil at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Claudine Gaywho was also involved in accusations of plagiarism.
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