Federal civil rights probes launched into UCLA, UC San Diego and other California campuses

Federal authorities have launched civil rights investigations into five 
California campuses — UCLA, UC San Diego, Stanford, San Diego State and 
Santa Monica College — since the Israel-Hamas war erupted two months ago, 
but it is not known how many may involve allegations of antisemitism or 
harassment against Arabs and Muslims.

At least one university, San Diego State, said the complaint triggering 
the federal action involved a June 2023 incident that “is in no way 
related to the Israel-Hamas War or any dispute between Israelis and 
Palestinians.” The campus, in an email, declined to share further 
information, citing privacy rights of those involved.

The California campuses are the latest to draw the scrutiny of the U.S. 
Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, which released an 
initial list of seven colleges and K-12 schools under investigation on 
Nov. 16. Federal education officials at the time called it part of 
“aggressive action to address the alarming nationwide rise in reports of 
antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination 
and harassment.”

Five of the November cases on the initial list involved complaints of 
antisemitism and two involved charges of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab 
harassment, education officials said then.

An Education Department spokesperson declined Thursday to specify the 
nature of the complaints against the California campuses.

UCLA, UC San Diego and Stanford issued statements this week pledging full 
cooperation with federal authorities and reiterating their commitment to 
inclusive campus environments free of harassment and discrimination. They 
declined to provide further details of the basis for the investigations.

Santa Monica College said the complaint that triggered the federal action 
involved the failure of a student government council to install “Students 
Supporting Israel at SMC” as a campus club in October. The college said it 
promptly intervened to resolve the issue, demonstrating “the college’s 
commitment to a discrimination-free environment for all students.”

Colleges and universities nationwide have erupted in acrimony and tension 
since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, with dueling campus rallies, 
protest letters and widespread allegations of antisemitism, Islamophobia 
and anti-Arab harassment.

On Oct. 7, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people 
and taking some 240 hostage, according to the Israeli government. Israel’s 
bombardment and ground war in Hamas-ruled Gaza has killed more than 18,000 
people, according to health authorities in the Palestinian territory, and 
set off a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations estimates the 
war has displaced 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

The Anti-Defamation League reported this week that it recorded 400 
antisemitic incidents on college and university campuses between Oct. 7 
and Dec. 7, compared with 33 incidents during the same period in 2022. 
Overall, the New York-based nonprofit recorded 2,031 antisemitic incidents 
during that period —including 40 cases of physical assaults — up from 465 
the year before. The ADL included 905 campus rallies in the overall count, 
saying they involved “antisemitic rhetoric, expressions of support for 
terrorism against the state of Israel and/or anti-Zionism.”

Palestine Legal, a Chicago-based nonprofit, has seen a tenfold increase in 
campus requests for help since the Israel-Hamas war began. The 
organization, which provides legal assistance in support of the 
Palestinian solidarity movement, received 449 requests for aid between 
Oct. 7 and Dec. 13 this year, compared with 40 requests last year.

The Department of Education will investigate whether the campuses violated 
Title VI, which requires colleges, universities and K-12 schools that 
receive federal funding to provide all students “a school environment free 
from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, including 
shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.”

Such harassment can include slurs, taunts, stereotypes, or name-calling, 
as well as racially motivated physical threats, attacks or other hateful 
conduct, according to the Education Department website. Although the 
federal laws don’t expressly address religious discrimination, civil 
rights officials can investigate harassment of students with Jewish, 
Muslim, Hindu and other faith backgrounds if they are subjected to “ethnic 
or ancestral slurs,” stereotypes based on perceived shared ancestry or 
ethnicity or appearance or behavior linked to their backgrounds.

Although campus officials have been challenged by conflicts over free 
speech and offensive conduct, federal officials say schools are obligated 
to respond to allegations of discriminatory harassment involving speech if 
it contributes to a “hostile environment.” Possible interventions include 
publicly rejecting stereotypical or derogatory opinions and ensuring that 
competing views are heard.

Schools that violate the law and refuse to address the problems can 
ultimately lose federal funding or be referred to the U.S. Department of 
Justice for further action.

Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary of Education for civil rights, 
said in a statement last month that it was releasing the names of 
institutions under investigation for transparency and public awareness, 
and that “a school’s appearance on this list does not reflect a conclusion 
that the law has been violated.”

Other universities and colleges under investigation for possible Title VI 
violations include Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, Wellesley, University of 
Pennsylvania, University of Washington, Tulane, Oberlin and Rutgers.

In a statement, UCLA urged anyone experiencing harassment or 
discrimination to immediately report it to UCLA’s EDI Civil Rights Office. 
“UCLA is committed to maintaining an inclusive and supportive environment 
for all students, faculty and staff,” the campus said.

UC San Diego, saying it “takes all allegations of discrimination 
seriously,” also asked that those experiencing such treatment report it to 
the campus Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination at 
[email protected] or ReportBias.ucsd.edu.

Stanford, for its part, said it was “fully committed to a campus 
environment free of discrimination and harassment, and one in which 
students of all backgrounds, national origins, and religions are supported 
and have the opportunity to thrive.”

Santa Monica College said its Board of Trustees passed a resolution on 
Nov. 7 in support of United Against Hate week, which acknowledged the 
increases in “anti-semitism amid other ongoing acts of hate and 
discrimination against marginalized groups throughout the nation.”

Times staff writer Debbie Truong contributed to this report.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-14/federal-civil-rights-
probes-launched-into-ucla-uc-san-diego-and-other-california-campuses