Federal civil rights probes launched into UCLA, UC San Diego and other California campuses
Federal authorities have launched civil rights investigations into five California campuses — UCLA, UC San Diego, Stanford, San Diego State and Santa Monica College — since the Israel-Hamas war erupted two months ago, but it is not known how many may involve allegations of antisemitism or harassment against Arabs and Muslims.
At least one university, San Diego State, said the complaint triggering the federal action involved a June 2023 incident that “is in no way related to the Israel-Hamas War or any dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.” The campus, in an email, declined to share further information, citing privacy rights of those involved.
The California campuses are the latest to draw the scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, which released an initial list of seven colleges and K-12 schools under investigation on Nov. 16. Federal education officials at the time called it part of “aggressive action to address the alarming nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment.”
Five of the November cases on the initial list involved complaints of antisemitism and two involved charges of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab harassment, education officials said then.
An Education Department spokesperson declined Thursday to specify the nature of the complaints against the California campuses.
The Israel-Hamas war is roiling the University of California amid controversy over faculty political statements and the harassment of students.
UCLA, UC San Diego and Stanford issued statements this week pledging full cooperation with federal authorities and reiterating their commitment to inclusive campus environments free of harassment and discrimination. They declined to provide further details of the basis for the investigations.
Santa Monica College said the complaint that triggered the federal action involved the failure of a student government council to install “Students Supporting Israel at SMC” as a campus club in October. The college said it promptly intervened to resolve the issue, demonstrating “the college’s commitment to a discrimination-free environment for all students.”
Colleges and universities nationwide have erupted in acrimony and tension since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, with dueling campus rallies, protest letters and widespread allegations of antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab harassment.
On Oct. 7, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking some 240 hostage, according to the Israeli government. Israel’s bombardment and ground war in Hamas-ruled Gaza has killed more than 18,000 people, according to health authorities in the Palestinian territory, and set off a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations estimates the war has displaced 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
The Anti-Defamation League reported this week that it recorded 400 antisemitic incidents on college and university campuses between Oct. 7 and Dec. 7, compared with 33 incidents during the same period in 2022. Overall, the New York-based nonprofit recorded 2,031 antisemitic incidents during that period —including 40 cases of physical assaults — up from 465 the year before. The ADL included 905 campus rallies in the overall count, saying they involved “antisemitic rhetoric, expressions of support for terrorism against the state of Israel and/or anti-Zionism.”
Palestine Legal, a Chicago-based nonprofit, has seen a tenfold increase in campus requests for help since the Israel-Hamas war began. The organization, which provides legal assistance in support of the Palestinian solidarity movement, received 449 requests for aid between Oct. 7 and Dec. 13 this year, compared with 40 requests last year.
The Palestinian cause — and hostility toward Israel — has shifted from the sidelines of student activism to a robust political movement at U.S. colleges.
The Department of Education will investigate whether the campuses violated Title VI, which requires colleges, universities and K-12 schools that receive federal funding to provide all students “a school environment free from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.”
Such harassment can include slurs, taunts, stereotypes, or name-calling, as well as racially motivated physical threats, attacks or other hateful conduct, according to the Education Department website. Although the federal laws don’t expressly address religious discrimination, civil rights officials can investigate harassment of students with Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and other faith backgrounds if they are subjected to “ethnic or ancestral slurs,” stereotypes based on perceived shared ancestry or ethnicity or appearance or behavior linked to their backgrounds.
Although campus officials have been challenged by conflicts over free speech and offensive conduct, federal officials say schools are obligated to respond to allegations of discriminatory harassment involving speech if it contributes to a “hostile environment.” Possible interventions include publicly rejecting stereotypical or derogatory opinions and ensuring that competing views are heard.
Schools that violate the law and refuse to address the problems can ultimately lose federal funding or be referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for further action.
Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary of Education for civil rights, said in a statement last month that it was releasing the names of institutions under investigation for transparency and public awareness, and that “a school’s appearance on this list does not reflect a conclusion that the law has been violated.”
Other universities and colleges under investigation for possible Title VI violations include Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, Wellesley, University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington, Tulane, Oberlin and Rutgers.
In a statement, UCLA urged anyone experiencing harassment or discrimination to immediately report it to UCLA’s EDI Civil Rights Office. “UCLA is committed to maintaining an inclusive and supportive environment for all students, faculty and staff,” the campus said.
UC San Diego, saying it “takes all allegations of discrimination seriously,” also asked that those experiencing such treatment report it to the campus Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination at ophd@ucsd.edu or ReportBias.ucsd.edu.
Stanford, for its part, said it was “fully committed to a campus environment free of discrimination and harassment, and one in which students of all backgrounds, national origins, and religions are supported and have the opportunity to thrive.”
Santa Monica College said its Board of Trustees passed a resolution on Nov. 7 in support of United Against Hate week, which acknowledged the increases in “anti-semitism amid other ongoing acts of hate and discrimination against marginalized groups throughout the nation.”
Times staff writer Debbie Truong contributed to this report.
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