WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press release) – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) last week opened an investigation into a complaint filed by The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish on Campus against California State Polytechnic (Cal Poly), Humboldt. The organizations allege that the university is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by cultivating a campus environment that allowed for the verbal and physical harassment, exclusion, and abuse of Jewish students.
“Not only did the Cal Poly administration refuse to prosecute brazen, violent acts of antisemitism, but they allowed their students to be victimized over and over, offering them nothing but a callous disregard for their continued harassment,” said Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center and the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education who ran the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the office that investigates these complaints, during two administrations. “We hope this investigation will force Cal Poly to stop sweeping antisemitism under the rug, and it will serve as a sign to all universities: indifference to bigotry and hatred will not be tolerated.”
According to the original complaint, Jewish students were repeatedly attacked, forced out of areas of campus, and subjected to ongoing antisemitism on campus grounds. Anti-Israel campus protestors threw fake blood on Jewish students, vandalized campus property with antisemitic slurs, and yelled chants that glorified Hamas through a megaphone and taunted Jewish students with messages like “go away Nazis” and “Zionists are all homophobes” while the students were trying to celebrate a Jewish holiday.
Instead of addressing the blatant antisemitism on campus, Cal Poly’s administration allegedly put the onus on Jewish students, encouraging them to hide their identity to avoid being targeted. In one instance, a Cal Poly student approached Chabad, a Jewish student group that was tabling at a club fair, and began shouting that the Jewish students were baby killers, genocide supporters and land stealers. The student grabbed items off the table and put his body in front of Chabad’s station – scaring off other students and physically blocking them from approaching – and inserted himself between the rabbi and students who were engaged in discussion.
Instead of reprimanding the assailant for the disruptive behavior or intervening in the encounter, the Associate Dean for Student Life told the Jewish students that they should pack up and leave the fair. In another instance, after a ritual item was stolen from Jewish students, the administration told the Jewish students that they should take additional steps to avoid further theft.
These are just two of the many examples where the university encouraged Jewish students to ignore the harassment and retreat. According to the complaint, “[t]he message from the University to Jewish students is clear: downplay your Jewish identity on campus or hide to avoid being targeted because the University will not protect you.” Jewish students report fearing for their safety and being denied opportunities, with some leaving campus as a result.
“All students deserve equal access to campus life; Jewish students must be no exception. At a time of rising campus tension, universities must understand that discrimination against and harassment of Jewish students on the basis of their national origin is not political,” said Jewish on Campus CEO Julia Jassey. “Jewish students should not fear for their safety while celebrating holidays or expressing their identities openly. Civil rights are the benchmark of a healthy democracy, and we hope that this complaint can motivate positive change to campus life at CalPoly Humboldt.”
In response to a different Brandeis Center complaint, Harvard recently agreed to take significant measures to address antisemitism on its campus. As part of the precedent-setting agreement, Harvard will apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism with its examples to its non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies, recognize the centrality of Zionism to Jewish identity, and explicitly state that targeting Jews and Zionists constitutes a violation of school rules. Other schools have also settled recent complaints with similar concrete action.
In addition, the Department of Education recently announced investigations into Brandeis Center complaints filed against UMass Amherst, DC’s American University, Yale University, Scripps College, and the Fulton County School District. Other ongoing investigations brought on by Brandeis Center complaints include Wellesley, and University of Southern California (USC), while settlement agreements have been reached with other schools including SUNY New Paltz and the University of Illinois.
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Preceding provided by The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law