An investigation by the administration of US President Donald Trump has found that Columbia University hashowed "deliberate indifference" towards harassment of its Jewish students, throughout the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
This puts the prestigious New York school in violation of the Civil Rights Act, 1964, Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at Health and Human Services (HHS), said.
"Our findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being," the New York Post quoted Archeval as saying.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023.
“We encourage Columbia to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students,” Archeval added.
The HHS findings concluded that Columbia allegedly failed to “investigate or punish vandalism in its classrooms, which include the repeated drawing of swastikas and other universally recognized hate images,” and did not “establish effective reporting and remediation mechanisms for antisemitism until the summer of 2024.”
'Committed to combating antisemitism': Columbia University
Columbia told Axios in response to the Trump administration's investigation that it is “committed to combating antisemitism."
“We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus. We take these issues seriously and will work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to address them,” a spokesperson told the outlet.
No additional actions suggested against Columbia
The HHS findings, however, did not include any new actions against the university.
In March, the federal government announced cancellation of $400 million in federal grants to the Ivy League school over its “failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.”
The funding cancellation came after more than a year of incidents that included large-scale protests, antisemitic harassment following the Hamas attack on Israel, and the subsequent outbreak of the war in Gaza.
In response, Columbia announced it would cooperate with the order, instituting numerous policy changes in direct accordance with a list of reforms requested by a joint task force composed of the Department of Education, the General Services Administration, and Health and Human Services.
Among the changes, the university banned all face coverings on campus worn “for the purpose of concealing one’s identity in the commission of violations of university policies or state, municipal or federal laws.”
This puts the prestigious New York school in violation of the Civil Rights Act, 1964, Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at Health and Human Services (HHS), said.
"Our findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being," the New York Post quoted Archeval as saying.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023.
“We encourage Columbia to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students,” Archeval added.
The HHS findings concluded that Columbia allegedly failed to “investigate or punish vandalism in its classrooms, which include the repeated drawing of swastikas and other universally recognized hate images,” and did not “establish effective reporting and remediation mechanisms for antisemitism until the summer of 2024.”
'Committed to combating antisemitism': Columbia University
Columbia told Axios in response to the Trump administration's investigation that it is “committed to combating antisemitism."
“We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus. We take these issues seriously and will work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to address them,” a spokesperson told the outlet.
No additional actions suggested against Columbia
The HHS findings, however, did not include any new actions against the university.
In March, the federal government announced cancellation of $400 million in federal grants to the Ivy League school over its “failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.”
The funding cancellation came after more than a year of incidents that included large-scale protests, antisemitic harassment following the Hamas attack on Israel, and the subsequent outbreak of the war in Gaza.
In response, Columbia announced it would cooperate with the order, instituting numerous policy changes in direct accordance with a list of reforms requested by a joint task force composed of the Department of Education, the General Services Administration, and Health and Human Services.
Among the changes, the university banned all face coverings on campus worn “for the purpose of concealing one’s identity in the commission of violations of university policies or state, municipal or federal laws.”
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