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(Hill) – The Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office (OCR) is investigating 60 universities for anti-Semitism, according to a letter sent Monday.
The agency said 60 institutions are being warned because they are not complying with Title IX’s obligation to protect Jewish students.
“This department is extremely disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite US campuses continue to fear safety amid a eruption of merciless anti-Semiticism that has significantly disrupted campus life for over a year. University leaders need to do better,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.
“U.S. universities and universities benefit from the enormous public investment funded by US taxpayers. That support is a privilege and conditional on strict compliance with the federal anti-discrimination laws,” she added.
The list includes Ivy League schools such as Harvard University and smaller schools such as Middlebury College.
The letter comes after the federal government cut off $400 million in funding to Columbia University for alleged inaction in handling anti-Semitism complaints, and the OCR announced prioritization in addressing a backlog of anti-Semitism allegations in schools.
The measure comes days after the US immigration and customs enforcement agencies were arrested a Columbia graduate student on a green card that led the pro-Palestinian protests.
The investigation and threat escalation had some impact on the school.
Harvard said Monday it was implementing a job freeze due to uncertainty over federal policy and funding concerns, and the University of California, Los Angeles announced it would launch a new initiative on campus to combat anti-Semitism.
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