The department’s Office for Civil Rights said it investigated nine complaints against University of California schools in Los Angeles (UCLA), Santa Barbara, San Diego, Davis and Santa Cruz. The complaints alleged the schools failed to respond effectively to antisemitic and anti-Arab harassment.

The civil rights office concluded the universities “appear not to have responded promptly or effectively” to allegations of discrimination and harassment that were brought to the administrations’ attention.

Under the agreement, the schools must step up reporting of complaints to the OCR office and review all complaints and reports of harassment from the past two academic years to determine if further action is needed. The agreement also calls for more training of university employees and campus police officers about their obligations under federal law.

The University of California system said the agreement is one of several steps it is taking to ensure its campuses are respectful and welcoming to all.

“Ensuring an inclusive University environment requires sustained focus and action,” the system said in a written statement.

Colleges and universities nationwide saw tension and at times violence erupt on campuses after the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, with dueling campus rallies and widespread allegations of antisemitism and anti-Arab harassment.

The Department of Education has been investigating dozens of complaints that campuses violated Title VI, which bars discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color and national origin at colleges and universities that receive federal funding. Examples of harassment can include slurs, taunts, stereotypes, name-calling and racially motivated attacks or hateful conduct, according to the department’s website.

The department reached a similar agreement with Brown University in July.

A separate investigation found the University of Cincinnati did not respond appropriately to reports of harassment, the Office of Civil Rights said. Examples from some two dozen complaints include a Palestinian student who reported receiving death threats, which the university did not investigate, and an anonymous complaint that a Jewish student’s home was egged and smeared with feces.

The University of Cincinnati said in a statement it will review its policies and previously filed complaints, and take steps “to practively enhance ongoing efforts to prevent discrimination and harassment.” The university said it investigated the complaint of vandalism at the Jewish student’s home, which was made directly to the federal office, but found no reports or evidence of the incident.

UCLA’s handling of dispersing its encampment in the spring drew widespread criticism. Chaos erupted after hundreds of protesters defied orders from campus police to leave the encampment. One night, counter-protesters attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones and firing pepper spray, with fighting that continued for hours before police stepped in.

The investigation into UCLA stemmed partly from concerns of compliance related to about 150 reports the school received about rallies in October and November 2023 as well as a pro-Palestinian encampment in the spring, the department said.

“Of particular concern were reports of violence against students of Jewish ancestry … and of a violent assault by counter-protesters on pro-Palestinian protesters” at the encampment, the department said.

At rallies, protesters chanted “death to Israel” and “no peace until they’re dead,” the department said. At the encampment, protesters maintained checkpoints that excluded Jewish students from the protest area and parts of the campus, prompting the school’s chancellor to issue a statement saying Jewish students on campus, among others, felt “a state of anxiety and fear.”

Muslim and Palestinian students experienced “unwanted filming, doxing, and being followed” on or near the UCLA campus, the department said. A task force report cited by the department said counter-protesters heckled people inside the encampment, saying things like, “you’re a jihadist,” and “you’re a terrorist.”

The four other UC campuses also had “widely reported incidents” of alleged harassment against students, the civil rights office said. UC Santa Barbara was notified of antisemitic vandalism at a dorm and signs posted at a student center that targeted Jewish students by name; UC San Diego and UC Davis also received complaints about students experiencing or witnessing antisemitic comments or actions by students and professors.

Source: The Associated Press

Roughly one in every two Muslim college students in the US state of California have experienced harassment or discrimination, according to a recently published survey.

The report from the California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Center for the Prevention of Hate and Bullying (CPHB) includes responses from 720 students at 87 public and private colleges and universities across California, which found a 10 percent spike in Islamophobia faced by students since 2020.

The October 7, 2023, Hamas-led cross-border attack, as well as Israel’s onslaught on besieged Gaza, have exacerbated Islamophobia on campuses as well as “anti-Palestinian hate, and anti-Arab racism, leaving Muslim students feeling targeted and unsupported,” CAIR said in a statement.

Student-led anti-war protests that erupted nationwide on campuses in the wake of the escalating death toll have been repeatedly met with an effort to stamp them out or otherwise curtail the demonstrations.

“This past year has been extremely traumatizing for college students of varying ethnicities within the Islamic faith—all because they valiantly chose to stand up and humanize the plight of Palestinians, who have suffered from over 75 years of oppression, dehumanization, and war,” CPHB Director Osman Khan said in a statement.

“These students should not have to suffer physical reprisals, nor fear possible academic and future employment repercussions, for simply practicing their constitutionally protected rights of petition, assembly, and speech,” he added.

‘Not a global institution’

University of Southern California student Summer said many Muslim students have felt isolated within their college communities, particularly those who have lost friends and family in Israel’s war, which has claimed the lives of more than 43,000 Palestinians.

“Some students, while in class, have received (the) devastating news of losing loved ones in Gaza. They not only mourn their families but also face the silence and lack of empathy from their own community. Where are the statements of solidarity, safe spaces for healing, or meaningful support from the administration for those grieving innocent lives?” she asked rhetorically.

“We cannot claim to be a global institution of higher learning while neglecting the global realities of our students. We cannot say we stand for justice when we turn a blind eye to injustice within our own campus,” she added.

Source: TRT World