The Education Department announced Monday that it would conduct investigations at five universities where antisemitic harassment incidents have been reported.
The institutions being probed are Columbia University; Northwestern University; Portland State University; the University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
The Education Department said in a news release that investigations respond to the “explosion of antisemitism on American campuses following the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023.” It cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which protects individuals from discrimination based on national origin and applies to schools and institutions of higher learning that receive federal funding.
President Trump signed an executive order last week calling for aggressive action against antisemitism on college campuses, vowing to prosecute offenders and revoke visas for international students found to be “Hamas sympathizers.” The order drew criticism from civil rights groups, who said the protests were mostly peaceful, included students of all backgrounds, including Jewish students, and that the president’s directive violates the First Amendment.
The department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, Craig Trainor, accused the Biden administration of failing to hold institutions responsible for tolerating “widespread antisemitic harassment and the illegal encampments that paralyzed campus life last year.”
The department didn’t provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted.
At Berkeley, as has been the case at a number of universities, protesters have demanded the university divest from Israel and an end to the war in Gaza.
Tensions have remained high at Columbia University over the Israel-Hamas war and the school’s response to protests on campus that have been taking place since early last year. At the end of last year’s term, the NYPD disbanded an encampment on the quad and dozens of student protesters were arrested. Columbia would end up canceling its graduation ceremony.
Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. Several university presidents, including Columbia’s Minoche Shafik, resigned amid criticism of their handling of the protests.
In a statement to CBS News Chicago, Northwestern said it had taken several actions to address antisemitism on campus, including updating its student code of conduct and its disciplinary procedures.
“There is no place for antisemitism or any form of identity-based discrimination or hate at Northwestern University,” the school said in its statement. “Free expression and academic freedom are among our core values, but we have made clear that these values provide no excuse for behavior that threatens the well-being of others.”
contributed to this report.