Education
Feds Warn Northwestern, Dozens of Other Universities of Possible Funding Cuts if They Fail to Protect Jewish Students
(WTTW News)
A pair of Illinois universities were among 60 institutions of higher education who received a letter this week from the U.S. Department of Education threatening “potential enforcement actions” if they fail to protect Jewish students on their campuses.
Northwestern and Illinois Wesleyan universities were among those that received notice from the department of potential Title VI violations stemming from what it called “antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on Monday said U.S. colleges and universities “benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers” but added that support “is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”
“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year,” McMahon said in a statement. “University leaders must do better.”
The letters come months after pro-Palestinian protests were held on campuses across the country amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Northwestern spokesperson Hilary Hurd Anyaso confirmed the university received the Department of Education letter and is “fully cooperating with federal investigators as we have with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce over the past year.”
“There is no place for antisemitism or any form of identity-based discrimination or hate at Northwestern University,” Anyaso said in a statement. “Free expression and academic freedom are among our core values, but we have made clear that these values provide no excuse for behavior that threatens the well-being of others.”
A spokesperson for Illinois Wesleyan similarly confirmed they had received the department letter, adding that the university is “committed to fulfilling its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and we continue to cooperate in this matter.”
“We are committed to a campus environment that protects the safety and dignity of all students, faculty and staff, and that is free from harassment or discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against people of Jewish origin,” the spokesperson said.
The Trump administration launched investigations last month into allegations of antisemitism at Northwestern and four other universities.
At that time, the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating “toothless” resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and lawful U.S. resident who was a graduate student at Columbia until December, was detained Saturday by federal immigration agents in New York and flown to an immigration jail in Louisiana.
President Donald Trump said that arrest will be the first “of many to come” as his administration cracks down on campus demonstrations against Israel and the war in Gaza. Last week, the administration announced that it’s pulling $400 million from Columbia University, canceling grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus.
Students protesting the war set up a tent encampment last spring at Northwestern’s Deering Meadow. University officials and the protesters eventually reached an agreement that allowed peaceful protests to continue, but brought an end to the encampment.
Anyaso said Northwestern is “confident” in the steps it has taken to address antisemitism on campus, including investments in public safety and updates to its student code of conduct and disciplinary procedures.
“We continue to work tirelessly to make our university a safe and non-discriminatory educational institution,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
