The U.S. Department of Education announced on Friday that it has struck a deal with the University of California system, addressing complaints raised by Jewish and Muslim students regarding discrimination and harassment during protests related to the Gaza conflict last spring.
The Department’s Office for Civil Rights reviewed nine complaints concerning various University of California campuses, including those at Los Angeles (UCLA), Santa Barbara, San Diego, Davis, and Santa Cruz. The complaints indicated a lack of effective response from these institutions concerning antisemitic and anti-Arab harassment.
The findings revealed that the universities seemed to have not adequately acted on the allegations of discrimination and harassment that were reported to their administrations. As part of the settlement, the UC campuses are required to increase the reporting of complaints to the OCR and re-evaluate past complaints of harassment over the last two academic years to determine if any additional actions are warranted. Additionally, the agreement mandates enhanced training for university staff and campus police regarding their responsibilities under federal law.
The University of California system has stated that the agreement is one of several initiatives being implemented to cultivate a respectful and inclusive environment across its campuses. They emphasized the need for persistent efforts to improve the university atmosphere for all students.
Nationwide, colleges and universities have experienced heightened tensions and instances of violence on campuses since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, marked by contentious rallies and increased reports of antisemitic and anti-Arab harassment.
The Department of Education has been reviewing numerous complaints claiming that various campuses have violated Title VI, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in institutions that receive federal funds. The department has outlined that harassment may manifest in multiple forms, including slurs, derogatory comments, stereotypes, and other forms of hate-driven actions.
A similar agreement was reached with Brown University in July regarding related issues. Furthermore, a separate investigation revealed that the University of Cincinnati failed to respond sufficiently to harassment complaints. Instances detailed in the complaints included a Palestinian student who reported receiving threats to their life, which went uninvestigated, as well as an anonymous report claiming that a Jewish student’s property was vandalized without proper action taken by the university.
In response, the University of Cincinnati has stated it will review its current policies and analyze previously filed complaints to better prevent future occurrences of discrimination and harassment. The university noted that they did investigate the vandalism claim but found no evidence supporting the incident.
UCLA faced substantial backlash for its management of a protest encampment during the spring. Tensions escalated when protesters disregarded orders from campus police to vacate the area. On one occasion, counter-protesters launched an attack on the pro-Palestinian gathering, resulting in the use of pepper spray and physical confrontations lasting several hours before law enforcement intervened.
The initial investigation into UCLA followed concerns about compliance stemming from approximately 150 reports received during rallies in October and November 2023, as well as during the pro-Palestinian encampment in the spring.
The Department expressed specific concerns over reported violence against Jewish students and instances of aggression from counter-protesters toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Some protestors have been documented chanting inflammatory slogans, and at the encampment, it was noted that certain students were excluded from the protest area based on their Jewish identity, prompting statements from the chancellor about the anxiety experienced by Jewish students on campus.
Muslim and Palestinian students also reported feeling unsafe, facing unwanted attention, and being followed. Reports indicated that counter-protesters targeted individuals within the encampment with hostile remarks. Additionally, the other UC campuses also reported multiple incidents of alleged harassment toward students, with schools like UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and UC Davis recording complaints related to antisemitic comments and actions by both students and faculty.