The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation into Northwestern University Wednesday following a complaint filed with the office over alleged antisemitism on campus.
Zachary Marshall, the editor-in-chief of Campus Reform, a conservative news outlet, filed the complaint, alleging that the university had failed to adequately respond to incidents of antisemitism on campus, according to The Daily Northwestern. The ED’s OCR subsequently opened an investigation into the university, which has seen several incidents of antisemitism on campus since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. (RELATED: Elite University Donor Pledges To Pull Funding, Calls On President To Resign Over Diversity, Equity And Inclusion)
“My primary concern is for Jewish students’ safety and wellbeing on campus. If these investigations help in any way, then they are completely worth doing. In my multiple calls with lawyers from the Office for Civil Rights, I stress how difficult it is for Jewish students I’ve spoken to come out publicly about their experiences. Since I’m in a position to speak out, I feel morally obligated to do what I can to fight antisemitism on college campuses,” Marshall told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Screenshot – YouTube – Northwestern University
Law students at the school asked the dean of the law school, Hari Osofsky, to condemn antisemitic signs at a rally in November, but Osofsky sent an email saying that students who film protesters “convey hate” and are “doxing” them, according to The Washington Free Beacon. The university also refused to condemn Hamas days after a terrorist attack on Israel in October.
“The University was notified by the U.S. Department of Education that it has opened an investigation into a complaint that Northwestern violated Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act. The University will respond to the Department of Education and cooperate with its investigation. The complaint against Northwestern was not filed by a member of our community but instead by an outside organization,” a spokesperson for Northwestern told the DCNF.
“Northwestern is committed to providing a safe, welcoming environment for everyone in our community. Northwestern does not tolerate antisemitism or discriminatory acts directed at any individual based upon their race, religion, national origin or other protected categories,” the spokesperson said.
The university announced a committee on preventing antisemitism and hate in November following a rise in anti-Israel activities around the U.S., according to a press release.
Several elite schools are being investigated on the federal level for alleged antisemitism on campus.
Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are being investigated by the House Education Committee following a Dec. 5 congressional hearing. Harvard President Claudine Gay, UPenn President Liz Magill and MIT President Sally Kornbluth refused at the hearing to say if calling for the genocide of Jews violated the schools’ codes of conduct.
The ED’s OCR is also looking into several other elite colleges including Cooper Union, Columbia University and Wellesley College, according to the ED.
The ED did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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