Education
U of I Enters Federal Resolution Agreement After Allegations of Antisemitism on Campus
Observatory Hall on the campus of Univeristy of Ilinois Urbana-Champaign is pictured on June 2, 2018. (Wolterk / istock)
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure it complies with federal law after failing to properly address reports of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim discrimination on campus, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights reviewed 139 incidents of discrimination reported to the university from 2015 to 2023. Of those incidents, 135 were related to allegations of anti-Jewish discrimination and four were related to anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian or anti-Arab discrimination.
The office found UIUC did not meet federal civil rights obligations to assess whether a hostile environment was created for students. The office also determined university programs tasked with responding to complaints of harassment lacked coordination and applied policies inconsistently.
The university falls under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin for programs receiving federal financial assistance.
An investigation into the university was prompted by a March 2020 complaint to the Office for Civil Rights alleging numerous incidents of antisemitism such as the recurring appearance of swastikas throughout campus, mezuzahs ripped off students’ doors and a brick being thrown through the window of a Jewish fraternity, according to the office.
“While I certainly feel validated by the results of the OCR investigation - the University’s lack of investigation or consideration of the Jewish student complaints over the years was devastating as we can see from the list of incidents,” Illini Hillel Executive Director Erez Cohen said in a statement. “Jewish students have spent years at the university hiding their identities, being afraid of bringing their whole selves to the school and that is unacceptable.”
The resolution agreement is an important first step toward protecting Jewish students now and into the future, Cohen said in a statement.
As part of the resolution agreement, UIUC has agreed to review its policies and its response to complaints of discrimination during the last academic year; conduct an annual training on discrimination for faculty, staff and students; and provide the Office for Civil Rights with information regarding complaints of discrimination in the current academic year.
“As a global university that reflects a full range of cultures, beliefs, faiths and perspectives, the communities that compose the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are our greatest strength, and we do not condone expressions of antisemitism, Islamophobia or hatred and harm against any individual or groups,” university spokesperson Robin Kaler said in a statement.
“The university is pleased that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) determined that it was appropriate to resolve the complaint through a voluntary resolution agreement in which it makes no finding against the university,” the statement continued.
Examples of reported incidents of antisemitism at UIUC from the investigation include allegations that a student attacked a Jewish student, ripped off “his Jewish chain” and told the student he had attacked him because he is Jewish and “I wish my ancestors finished the job on you.” Additionally, flyers were distributed around campus via plastic bags containing rocks stating, “Every single aspect of the Covid agenda is Jewish” and listing several people with the word “Jewish” next to their names. Another incident involved a student throwing a rock toward an event at the Hillel Center.
Reported incidents of anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian or anti-Arab discrimination included in the investigation included a university employee sending messages on social media such as, “I won’t tolerate Islam,” and a pro-Palestinian student protester who reported being struck multiple times by a counter-protesting employee.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
