Following complaint, UNC begins investigation into anti-Palestinian discrimination –

When The Daily Tar Heel asked the Media Relations Department for a copy of the email and clarification on the parameters “in or around Israel,” as well as the impact of the investigation on the UNC community and its alignment with the university’s goals, Best responded with the same comment as in the Media Relations Department’s previous response, acknowledging the Title VI investigation and plans to work with the OCR.

According to the complaint, the administration said in a meeting on October 17 with student leaders from the Arab Student Organization, Muslim Students Association and SJP that an email had also been sent to Palestinian students, although the groups said this was false. On October 18, the Office of the Dean of Students sent a E-mail addressed to ASO members, with the same content as the previous email to Israeli students.

In addition, the complaint stated that the former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz And Leah Cox, Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer of the University, met with members of UNC Hillel — a Jewish campus organization — on October 10 to hear the concerns of students and staff. Guskiewicz later sent a E-mail included in the attachments to the complaint, to Hillel members who condemn anti-Semitism and emphasize the priority of safety on campus.

On October 13, Guskiewicz sent a university-wide E-mail Condemning Hamas violence against Israel and supporting community members, recognizing Jewish and Muslim students, faculty and staff. Khalili wrote that this email did not acknowledge Israel’s violence against the Palestinians and did not address Islamophobia or Palestinians by name, but did address anti-Semitism and Israel.

“In contrast to the university’s rapid response and proactive commitment to listening to the concerns of Israeli and Jewish students and offering them support, administrators made no attempt to reach out to Palestinian students or other Palestinian-affiliated groups,” Khalili wrote in her complaint that the administration did not contact these individuals until ASO and MSA requested a meeting.

The complaint also alleged that the UNC administration responded to verbal attacks by students and a professor on protesters during a SJP rally on October 12, with UNC Professor of Religious Studies Evyatar Marienberg and called pro-Palestinian demonstrators “Nazis.”

Khalili wrote that the incident was reported UNC Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, All complaints were dismissed.

The third case of discrimination set out in the complaints the alleged consent of the university to Marty Kotis, member of the UNC Board of Trustees“racist and anti-democratic demands.”

Following a Nov. 17 sit-in in a South Building waiting area held by SJP and allied groups, Kotis told The Daily Tar Heel that the university should identify specific students who participated in the event and punish them based on their role and history. which may possibly lead to exclusion.

Khalily compared This response to a sit-in held in February 2023 regarding accessibility at UNC, which resulted in neither police intervention nor behavioral charges against students.

“As a university committed to creating an educational environment that welcomes all, regardless of race, color or nationality, UNC-Chapel Hill cannot justify its failure to address the hostile anti-Palestinian environment to which students are exposed by its own administration, professors and police,” Khalili wrote in the complaint.

Proposed remedial action

In the complaint Khalili called that the OCR review UNC’s actions in response to complaints of discrimination against Palestinian students and establish ongoing monitoring. She also wrote: The university should drop its investigations into Palestinian students and their allies who advocate for equal treatment and issue a public statement apologizing for its actions.

In a Instagram post from April 8 When SJP announced the filing of the complaint, it said the civil rights law would not exist without college activists and community members.

“We have clearly shown that the university is continuing its long, shameful history of de facto racism,” The group wrote“UNC has not only restricted the free speech of Palestinian students and their allies, but has also attempted to make them invisible on campus.”

In an email to DTH, Khalili said Palestine Legal had filed eight Title VI complaints in In the last two months, universities have been investigated for anti-Palestinian discrimination. Four of these cases resulted in OCR investigations, and the others are still pending.

The OCR is also currently conducting an investigation into discrimination against Jewish students at the university.

“The university must not silence its students just because it disagrees with their message,” Khalili told DTH this in an email.

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