WASHINGTON — Three Washington universities have been sent letters by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), warning of possible actions against them if they do not “fulfill their obligations” to address anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment on campus.
The OCR sent out these letters to 60 universities, the Department of Education (DOE) said in a press release. Three of those colleges are: University of Washington (UW), Pacific Lutheran University, and Eastern University.
“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. University leaders must do better,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”
The OCR concluded an earlier investigation into UW for previous instances of alleged discrimination. UW agreed to five actions in the resolution-- there was no finding of liability or wrongdoing.
You can learn more about that investigation here.
KIRO 7 has reached out to each of the Washington colleges. As of this writing, we have only heard back from UW.
A spokesperson told KIRO 7 that they personally have not seen the letter.
In a statement, they wrote:
“The University of Washington stands firmly against antisemitism, and agreed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights earlier this year to five actions that will strengthen the UW’s commitment to timely and effective responses to complaints filed by students, faculty and staff. We understand that a letter has been sent to the UW and we will review it upon receipt. We continue to engage with Jewish students, faculty, and community leaders as we implement our response to the recommendations made by the UW’s Antisemitism Task Force and work toward an even more welcoming environment for all students.”
We will update this story if we hear back from the other universities.
“The Department’s OCR sent these letters under its authority to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964), which prohibits any institution that receives federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color, and national origin. National origin includes shared (Jewish) ancestry,” the OCR wrote.
The DOE announced that it had cut $400 million in federal grants and contracts for Columbia University, claiming the university had “continued inaction to protect Jewish students from discrimination.”
It’s unclear if the Trump Administration will enact similar measures to the 60 colleges that were sent letters.
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