UMass Amherst is the newest native faculty that’s being focused by the feds for alleged antisemitism.
The Division of Training has opened an investigation into the UMass flagship campus following a “violent antisemitism assault” within the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror assault.
The U.S. Division of Training’s Workplace for Civil Rights just lately launched an investigation into UMass Amherst for alleged discrimination involving shared ancestry — which is beneath Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The feds additionally opened probes towards Yale College, American College and Scripps School.
These complaints have been filed by The Louis D. Brandeis Heart for Human Rights Below Regulation, alongside the Anti-Defamation League, Nationwide Jewish Advocacy Heart, and Jewish on Campus.
The UMass Amherst criticism was filed to the feds final April 30.
“The complaint alleged that the University discriminated against your client (Student) on the basis of his national origin (Jewish ancestry) when it failed to respond appropriately to harassment of the Student during the 2023-2024 school year,” a Division of Training official wrote in a letter this week.
“OCR will investigate the following issue: Whether the University failed to respond to alleged harassment of the Student on the basis of national origin (Jewish ancestry) in a manner consistent with the requirements of Title VI,” the DOE letter reads. “Please note that opening an investigation does not mean that OCR has made a final determination with regard to the merits.”
In accordance with the criticism, a UMass Amherst senior attending a “Bring Them Home” solidarity occasion after the Oct. 7 terror assault was repeatedly punched and kicked by a pupil. A small Israeli flag was reportedly ripped from his hand, stabbed and thrown in a trash can. He was additionally known as a “Zionist (expletive).”
Whereas the college condemned the assault, the teams stated UMass Amherst did little past that.
“Even after a violent antisemitic assault on campus, UMass has done nothing to make Jewish students feel safe and, infuriatingly, this assault is the tip of the iceberg – part of a persistent pattern of enabling hate against Jews,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt stated final yr when the criticism was filed.
“This is a textbook example of an administration that is deliberately indifferent and negligent – the U.S. Department of Education must intervene immediately,” he added.
Following the incident, the alleged assailant was arrested by the UMass Police Division, was barred from campus, and is now not enrolled at UMass Amherst.
“The university has no control over the court’s adjudication of this case,” UMass Amherst stated in an announcement on Thursday.
“The University of Massachusetts Amherst does not tolerate discrimination based on national origin,” the college added. “Additionally, the university has condemned hatred in all forms, including antisemitism. The University of Massachusetts Amherst will cooperate fully with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.”
Any particular person or group is free to file a criticism with the Workplace of Civil Rights concerning allegations of discrimination, and OCR is obligated to guage each criticism it receives, the college stated in its assertion.
“We welcome the Department of Education’s move to open investigations into ADL and the Brandeis Center’s joint filings at UMASS Amherst; Yale University; and Scripps College,” stated ADL VP of Nationwide Litigation, James Pasch.
“The experiences of the Jewish students at these institutions have been emblematic of what we have seen across the country, and that must change, and it must change now,” he added. “Jewish students being threatened, harassed, and in some instances assaulted, have no place on our campuses, and we hope these investigations will yield positive changes that reverberates on campuses coast-to-coast.”
The Yale College criticism alleges that Jewish and Israeli college students have been pushed, obstructed and threatened making an attempt to maneuver about campus.
The American College criticism alleges that AU was conscious of the pervasive and hostile setting for Jewish college students, and the college selected to retaliate towards Jewish whistleblowers by subjecting them to disciplinary proceedings.
The Scripps School criticism alleges the college repeatedly deserted Jewish and Israeli college students focused by antisemitic harassment.
“There has been some concern around what changes to the Department of Education would mean for fighting campus and K-12 anti-Semitism,” stated Kenneth Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Heart and the previous U.S. Assistant Secretary of Training. “We are pleased to see the Department continuing to move forward rapidly on Title VI complaints, and in some cases, they are well exceeding historical norms for prompt action.”
