The atmosphere on college campuses is becoming more tense as tensions remain high over the Israel-Hamas conflict. The situation is so severe that the Education Department is now investigating several schools on suspicion of discrimination.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, six more schools are being investigated for discrimination reports on their campus.
The list has been updated to include Tulane University, Union College, Cobb County School District in Georgia, University of Cincinnati, Santa Monica College, California, and Montana State University.
The Office for Civil Rights of the DOE released the list in response to the Biden administration’s efforts to act amid an “alarming rise” of reports of antisemitism and antisemitic, antimuslim, anti-arab, and other forms of discrimination on college and K-12 campuses since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7.
The Department of Education refused to disclose what kind of discrimination is being investigated in the schools. At least three schools released statements outlining the incidents.
The Education Department has already begun an investigation into nine other schools, under Title IV. This law prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and national origin.
The DOE hasn’t given many details but a district spokeswoman from Cobb County stated that the investigation was being conducted for a complaint relating to an “anti-Muslim incident.”
Tulane University’s spokesperson stated that the incident on campus occurred at a rally that was organized by an unrecognized group.
The university stated that the rally was staged deliberately on public land adjacent to our campus, but which it had no control over. Three individuals not affiliated with the university have been arrested for a variety of charges, including crimes of hatred, as a result of the assaults on Tulane students at the rally and the Tulane police officer.
Antisemitic incidents have risen dramatically since the Gaza war began on October 7.
Anti-Defamation League membership has increased by 400% over the past two weeks, since the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group attacked Israel on October 7, compared to the same period last year.
About 190 incidents of antisemitism tallied by this group were related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. More than half of the 190 incidents were rallies in which the group found “explicit support or strong implicit backing for Hamas, and/or violence towards Jews in Israel.”
This raises the serious question of what will happen after the Department of Education investigates incidents at these universities. In many instances, the leadership has allowed pro-Hamas students to make anti-Jewish remarks and threats, while also threatening Jewish students. They have also allowed them to disrupt campus life, and even call for the genocide against Jews. It is logical to assume that the problem will persist even after the investigation has been completed.
