The U.S. Department of Education has added Harvard University to its listing of faculties which can be below investigation for doable civil rights violations as college students have reported antisemitic incidents amid the Israel-Hamas battle.
The Cambridge campus is now below the federal microscope for potential discrimination following antisemitism complaints since Hamas’ terrorist assaults on Oct. 7.
One notable incident on campus concerned pro-Palestinian protesters surrounding a Jewish pupil, which led to reviews being filed with the FBI and Harvard Police.
On Tuesday, Harvard was added to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights listing of the upper schooling and Ok-12 establishments below investigation for alleged shared ancestry violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Title VI prohibits race, coloration, or nationwide origin discrimination, together with harassment primarily based on an individual’s shared ancestry or ethnic traits.
“The Department’s Office of Civil Rights confirms a pending investigation of Harvard University,” a U.S. Department of Education spokesperson mentioned in a press release to the Herald on Tuesday.
“The Department does not comment on pending investigations,” the spokesperson added.
Other faculties which can be already on the listing for a federal civil rights investigation embody Wellesley College, Cornell University, Columbia University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Following Hamas’ lethal terrorist assaults towards Israel, dozens of Harvard pupil teams wrote an explosive letter that blamed Israel solely for the assaults. Then, pupil group members who signed on to the letter have been doxxed.
Pro-Palestinian protesters on campus have held banners and chanted phrases that decision for the top of Israel.
After the Jewish pupil was accosted by pro-Palestinian protesters, the Harvard Business School dean mentioned the incident “left many of our students shaken.”
“The pro-Palestinian demonstration that crossed from Cambridge onto our campus last Wednesday, which included a troubling confrontation between one of our MBA students and a subset of the protestors, has left many of our students shaken,” Dean Srikant Datar wrote in October.
“Reports have been filed with HUPD and the FBI, the facts are being evaluated, and it will be some time before we learn the results of an investigation,” the dean added. “But the protest has raised questions about how we address freedom of speech, hateful speech that goes against our community values, and security and safety for everyone at the School.”
Meanwhile, the leaders of Harvard, MIT and UPenn might be talking subsequent week at a Congressional listening to referred to as “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism.”
“Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen countless examples of antisemitic demonstrations on college campuses. Meanwhile, college administrators have largely stood by, allowing horrific rhetoric to fester and grow,” North Carolina Congresswoman Virginia Foxx mentioned in a press release.
“College and university presidents have a responsibility to foster and uphold a safe learning environment for their students and staff,” the Republican added. “Now is not a time for indecision or milquetoast statements. By holding this hearing, we are shining the spotlight on these campus leaders and demanding they take the appropriate action to stand strong against antisemitism.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”