Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Education on Monday issued findings saying the University of Michigan and the City University of New York system each mishandled discrimination complaints leveled amid heightened campus tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.
- These findings represent the first resolutions in the dozens of probes that the department's Office for Civil Rights opened into whether colleges are adequately addressing complaints of antisemitism and of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
- Both institutions agreed to review whether reports of discrimination created hostile environments and also to train employees on their responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which protects against discrimination based on national origin.
Dive Insight:
To issue its findings, the Education Department grouped together nine complaints against CUNY and its member colleges. It also looked into 75 reports of discrimination or harassment at the University of Michigan based on shared ancestry.
The agency found that the higher education institutions didn’t take the steps necessary to investigate and handle these reports of discrimination.
For instance, protesters at the University of Michigan allegedly yelled, “F— education, Nazi liberation,” in the center of campus. However, records indicate that the University of Michigan took no action other than forwarding the reports to the institution’s public affairs department, according to the Education Department.
To resolve the agency’s concerns, the University of Michigan agreed to review all complaints from the 2023-24 academic year alleging discrimination over shared ancestry to determine if the “alleged conduct created a hostile environment.” The institution will also assess whether students and employees witness or experience discrimination based on race or national origin by December 2025.
“Since October 7, we have been deeply troubled by the statements and actions of some members of our community,” President Santa Ono said in a statement Monday. “U-M is required to uphold free speech under the First Amendment, even if that speech is reprehensible. We continually work to educate our community around the rights and privileges of free speech to ensure that debate does not tip over into targeted harassment or bullying.”
CUNY campuses have faced similar complaints, some of which stretch back to the 2019-20 academic year, well before the latest Israel-Hamas war broke out.
However, one of the more recent complaints alleges that Queens College didn’t adequately respond to reports of discrimination based on shared national origin since October 2023, including reported instances of students being called “ISIS” and “terrorists” during campus protests.
In a Monday letter to CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez, the Education Department said some of the campuses didn’t appear to conduct adequate investigations into complaints. For instance, they may not have interviewed relevant witnesses or determined whether conduct created a hostile learning environment, the letter said.
CUNY agreed to reopen or launch investigations into discrimination complaints and to share its findings with the department’s Office for Civil Rights. It also agreed to have each of its colleges administer at least one campus climate survey by September, among other measures.
“Colleges serve as beacons of free speech and expression, but the safety of our students, staff and faculty is paramount,” Matos Rodríguez said in a statement. “CUNY is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and hate and these new steps will ensure that there is consistency and transparency in how complaints are investigated and resolved.”
The Education Department still has over 100 pending investigations into colleges and K-12 schools involving complaints lodged following the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
“Sadly, we have witnessed a series of deeply concerning incidents in recent months. There’s no question that this is a challenging moment for school communities across the country,” U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement Monday. “The recent commitments made by the University of Michigan and CUNY mark a positive step forward.”
