The U.S. Department of Education said Friday it has reached an agreement with the University of California system resolving complaints from Jewish and Muslim students over the war in Gaza.
The complaints, some from UC San Diego, included allegations of discrimination and harassment during protests last spring .
The department’s Office for Civil Rights said it investigated nine complaints against UCLA and other UC schools including Santa Barbara, Davis and Santa Cruz. The complaints alleged the schools failed to respond effectively to anti-Arab and antisemitic harassment.
The civil rights office concluded that administration at the universities “appear not to have responded promptly or effectively” to allegations of discrimination and harassment.
Under the agreement, the schools must step up reporting of complaints to the OCR office and review all complaints and reports of harassment from the past two academic years to determine if further action is needed.
The agreement also calls for more training of university employees and campus police officers about their obligations under federal law.
The UC system said the agreement is one of several steps it is taking to ensure its campuses are respectful and welcoming to all.
“Ensuring an inclusive University environment requires sustained focus and action,” the system said in a written statement.
Colleges and universities nationwide saw tension and at times violence erupt after the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, with dueling campus rallies and widespread allegations of harassment.
The Department of Education has been investigating dozens of complaints that campuses violated Title VI, which bars discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color and national origin at colleges and universities that receive federal funding.
Examples of harassment can include slurs, taunts, stereotypes, name-calling and racially motivated attacks or hateful conduct, according to the department’s website.
UCSD and the other UC campuses had “widely reported incidents” of alleged harassment against students, the civil rights office said.
UC Santa Barbara was notified of antisemitic vandalism at a dorm and signs posted at a student center that targeted Jewish students by name; UCSD and UC Davis also received complaints about students experiencing or witnessing antisemitic comments or actions by students and professors.
“Students at UC San Diego have faced unprecedented and unacceptable levels of antisemitism and we are glad to see this new agreement with the Department of Education which – if properly implemented by the school’s administration – will help make their campus a safer and more welcoming place for Jews and all students,” said Sara E. Brown, the San Diego Regional Director for the American Jewish Committee.
UCLA’s handling of dispersing its encampment in the spring drew widespread criticism. Chaos erupted after hundreds of protesters defied orders from campus police to leave the encampment.
Times of San Diego news editor Jennifer Vigil contributed to this report.
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