The U.S. Education Department announced on Monday that the University of Michigan and the City University of New York (CUNY) have fallen short in addressing
recent incidents of anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and antisemitic nature.
The department reached resolutions with both universities regarding complaints about such incidents. The schools agreed to take several actions, including re-opening some past complaints, reporting their results to the government, training personnel on handling discrimination claims, and conducting more surveys to assess discriminatory experiences, according to an Education Department statement.
These were the first probes concluded among several launched by the department since October 7, following the attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel and Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza. Some probes involved incidents that occurred before the war began.
The Education Department stated that the universities did not comply with the requirement to remedy a hostile environment.
The investigated incidents ranged from threats reported by a Jewish student on social media to pro-Palestinian students being called "terrorists." Both universities confirmed the resolution agreements and reiterated their opposition to all forms of discrimination and harassment.
Advocacy groups report that incidents of hate and bias against Jews, Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians in the United States have increased amid the war. Notable incidents include the fatal October stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American child in Illinois, the November shooting of three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont, and the February stabbing of a Palestinian American man in Texas.
In April, a former Cornell University student pleaded guilty to posting online threats, including death and violence against Jewish students on campus. There have also been reports of alarming rhetoric in recent college campus protests.
According to Gaza health officials, more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's eight-month assault on the Gaza Strip. The conflict has displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population, caused widespread hunger, and led to genocide allegations, which Israel denies. The assault followed Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others abducted, according to Israeli reports. Photo by Phoebelb, Wikimedia commons.
