According to federal report, the University of Michigan, CUNY did not respond to complaints about hostile incidents on October 7

CNN
—

The University of Michigan has failed to properly investigate dozens of incidents of alleged anti-Semitic behavior on campus over the past four years, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Education.

The agency also expressed concern about the City University of New York’s lax response to at least three allegations of harassment “based on national origin” since the war between Israel and Hamas began last year.

In its report on the University of Michigan, the agency’s Office for Civil Rights stated: “The university does not appear to have taken steps to assess whether the incidents brought to its attention, individually or in combination, created a hostile environment for students, faculty, or staff. If they did, it did not take appropriate steps to end that hostile environment, remedy its effects, and prevent a recurrence.”

The federal agency reviewed 67 complaints – many of which predated the Israel-Hamas conflict – and found that “the university investigated and made findings on only one complaint.”

One complaint concerned a demonstration on campus in October 2023 in which people chanted “Nazi liberation.” The federal report said the university’s Office for Civil Rights merely “forwarded the reports to the Public Affairs Department for response.”

A January 2023 complaint described “people participating in a parade on campus allegedly calling for the expulsion and death of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.” The Department of Education report found no evidence that the university had taken any action. Instead, it said, “the matter appears to be outside the purview of the ECRT, as reported,” the university’s office that handles civil rights complaints concerning faculty and staff. The office called the chants a “protected activity.”

A student who attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration last year reported that a person “yelled at the student that she supported rape and murder and that she had terrorist friends.” The case was closed after the school “held reconciliation circles for staff, faculty and students.”

A 2016 diversity study by the University of Michigan found that 8% of students and 10% of faculty were Jewish. Less than 3% of faculty and students identified as Muslim.

In a voluntary agreement, the University of Michigan committed to investigating complaints more thoroughly, acknowledging that it will “assess whether each reported incident created a hostile atmosphere.” It will also “develop a comprehensive annual training program on discrimination and harassment.”

In a statement Monday, the University of Michigan said: “This agreement reflects the university’s commitment to ensuring it has the necessary tools to determine whether an individual’s actions or statements create a hostile environment and to take the necessary positive actions to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all.”

In a second resolution announced on Monday, the Department of Education said a similar agreement had been reached with the City University of New York. The agreement was made in response to numerous complaints of discrimination against both Jewish and Palestinian students “based on their actual or perceived national origin/common ancestry.”

The report specifically mentions harassment related to “common Palestinian, Arab and/or Muslim ancestry and connection to these nationalities/common ancestry.”

The university agreed to provide “a refresher for staff in the Office of Diversity and Compliance” as well as additional training for campus employees.