4 Washington colleges get warnings from Education Dept. about antisemitic behavior

The Department of Education (DOE) has issued a warning to four colleges in Washington, urging them to address antisemitic discrimination and harassment.

The University of Washington (UW), Eastern Washington University (EWU), Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) and Whitman College are among 59 schools nationwide that were sent letters from the department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Monday.

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said on the DOE website. “U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”

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Antisemitic behavior could mean losing federal funding

The DOE warned the schools of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus. According to the website Campus Safety, Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

The potential investigation of the UW raises concerns about the possibility of losing federal funding. University spokesperson Victor Balta said in an email obtained by The Daily UW that he has not yet seen the letter.

“The University of Washington stands firmly against antisemitism and agreed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights earlier this year to five actions that will strengthen the UW’s commitment to timely and effective responses to complaints filed by students, faculty and staff,” Balta wrote in a statement.

UW was cleared of wrongdoing in a discrimination investigation earlier this year.

“The University of Washington is a major research institution with a lot at stake,” Regina Sassoon Friedland, Regional Director of the American Jewish Committee Seattle, told KOMO 4.

There were protests across many universities over the summer that led to the investigations.

Title VI is meant to ensure uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities. The letters are addressed to all U.S. universities that are presently under investigation for Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.

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Full nationwide list

According to DOE, the universities that received letters include:

1. American University
2. Arizona State University
3. Boston University
4. Brown University
5. California State University, Sacramento
6. Chapman University
7. Columbia University
8. Cornell University
9. Drexel University
10. Eastern Washington University
11. Emerson College
12. George Mason University
13. Harvard University
14. Illinois Wesleyan University
15. Indiana University, Bloomington
16. Johns Hopkins University
17. Lafayette College
18. Lehigh University
19. Middlebury College
20. Muhlenberg College
21. Northwestern University
22. Ohio State University
23. Pacific Lutheran University
24. Pomona College
25. Portland State University
26. Princeton University
27. Rutgers University
28. Rutgers University-Newark
29. Santa Monica College
30. Sarah Lawrence College
31. Stanford University
32. State University of New York Binghamton
33. State University of New York Rockland
34. State University of New York, Purchase
35. Swarthmore College
36. Temple University
37. The New School
38. Tufts University
39. Tulane University
40. Union College
41. University of California Davis
42. University of California San Diego
43. University of California Santa Barbara
44. University of California, Berkeley
45. University of Cincinnati
46. University of Hawaii at Manoa
47. University of Massachusetts Amherst
48. University of Michigan
49. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
50. University of North Carolina
51. University of South Florida
52. University of Southern California
53. University of Tampa
54. University of Tennessee
55. University of Virginia
56. University of Washington-Seattle
57. University of Wisconsin, Madison
58. Wellesley College
59. Whitman College
60. Yale University

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