The U.S. Department of Education announced on Friday that it has come to an agreement with the University of California system to address complaints made by Jewish and Muslim students who reported instances of discrimination and harassment during protests related to the Gaza conflict last spring.
The investigations, conducted by the Office for Civil Rights, delved into nine complaints against various University of California campuses, including UCLA, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Davis, and Santa Cruz. These complaints indicated that the institutions failed to adequately respond to incidents of antisemitic and anti-Arab harassment.
The civil rights office found that the universities “appear not to have responded promptly or effectively” to the reports of discrimination and harassment that were presented to administrators.
As part of the agreement, the universities are required to enhance their reporting mechanisms for complaints to the Office for Civil Rights and review all past reports pertaining to harassment from the last two academic years to assess the necessity of additional actions. The accord also mandates heightened training for university staff and campus security regarding their responsibilities under federal law.
The University of California system emphasized that this agreement is just one of several initiatives aimed at fostering a respectful and inclusive environment across its campuses. “Creating an inclusive university environment necessitates ongoing commitment and effort,” the system stated in a press release.
Colleges and universities across the U.S. experienced heightened tensions and at times violent confrontations on campuses following the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict, leading to competing rallies and numerous allegations of antisemitic and anti-Arab misconduct.
The Department of Education has been investigating multiple complaints alleging that campuses have contravened Title VI, which prohibits discrimination or harassment based on race, color, or national origin at federally funded educational institutions. Harassment may take the form of slurs, stereotypes, threatening behavior, or any racially charged accusations, as outlined by the department.
Earlier, a similar settlement was reached with Brown University in July. In a different probe, the University of Cincinnati was found to have inadequately addressed harassment reports. The Office of Civil Rights noted some complaints included a Palestinian student encountering death threats that went uninvestigated, and a Jewish student whose home was vandalized. The University of Cincinnati has also committed to enhancing compliance with Title VI requirements.
Criticism regarding UCLA’s approach in managing its protests in the spring became widespread. Situations escalated when numerous protesters ignored campus police directives to vacate the area. On one occasion, counter-protesters besieged the pro-Palestinian gathering with physical attacks, resulting in prolonged clashes before law enforcement intervened.
Investigations into UCLA were spurred by concerns relating to approximately 150 reports received during rallies in October and November 2023, alongside the pro-Palestinian protests in the spring, according to the department.
“Particularly alarming were reports indicating violence directed towards students of Jewish heritage and aggressive assaults by counter-protesters targeting pro-Palestinian demonstrators,” the office noted.
During the demonstrations, protesters were heard chanting slogans such as “death to Israel” and “no peace until they’re dead.” At the encampment, some protesters established checkpoints that effectively barred Jewish students from accessing the protest zone, leading the university’s chancellor to remark on the heightened “anxiety and fear” felt by Jewish students on campus.
Additionally, Muslim and Palestinian students reported experiences of being “unwanted filmed, doxxed, and followed” near the UCLA campus. A task force report pointed out that counter-protesters verbally assaulted those within the encampment with harsh epithets like “you’re a jihadist” and “you’re a terrorist.”
The other four UC campuses also recorded “widely reported incidents” of alleged harassment towards students, as noted by the civil rights office. UC Santa Barbara, for instance, received reports of antisemitic graffiti in a dormitory and targeted signage at a student center. UC San Diego and UC Davis similarly fielded complaints regarding antisemitic remarks or actions attributed to students and even faculty members.
