U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Announces Resolution of a Complaint Against the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign Alleging Antisemitic Discrimination

U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights Announces Resolution of a Complaint Against the University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign Alleging Antisemitic Discrimination

Investigation Also Raised Concerns Regarding Anti-Muslim and Anti-Arab Discrimination

September 3, 2024

Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, [email protected]

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today announced that the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with federal civil rights obligations not to discriminate based on national origin (including shared Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian, or Arab ancestry) under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. OCR's investigation of the university was prompted by a March 2020 complaint to OCR alleging numerous incidents of antisemitism, including the recurring appearance of swastikas throughout campus; mezuzahs ripped off students' doors; and a brick being thrown through the window of a Jewish fraternity.

OCR's review of 139 incidents of shared ancestry discrimination reported to the university from 2015 through December 2023 does not reflect that the university met its obligation under Title VI to assess whether a hostile environment was created for students, faculty, or staff related to any of the complaints the university received. Of the 139 reports OCR reviewed, 135 related to allegations of anti-Jewish discrimination and 4 related to anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian, or anti-Arab discrimination.

These unassessed incidents regarding a possible hostile environment included, for example, an allegation that a student attacked a Jewish student and ripped off "his Jewish chain" and later said to the Jewish student that he had attacked him because he is Jewish and that, "I wish my ancestors finished the job on you"; flyers 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; and a student throwing a rock toward an event at the Hillel Center. Other incidents included a university employee sending messages on social media such as, "I won't tolerate Islam," and a pro-Palestinian student protestor who reported being struck multiple times by a counter-protesting employee.

OCR's investigation also reflected that university programs charged with responding to complaints of national origin harassment lacked coordination and inconsistently applied university policies and procedures, leading to potential gaps in the university's ability to address a hostile environment on the basis of national origin discrimination, including on the basis of shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.

To resolve the Title VI concerns OCR identified, the university agreed to: 

1. Review and as necessary revise its nondiscrimination policies and procedures to ensure they consistently require it to assess whether incidents of reported shared ancestry discrimination or harassment have created a hostile environment within the university's education program or activity and acknowledge that conduct that may have taken place off campus or on social media can contribute to a hostile environment within a university program or activity.
2. Review and as necessary revise its protest and demonstration policy to ensure university law enforcement responses related to protests and demonstrations are applied equitably and in a manner compliant with Title VI.
3. Provide training to university law enforcement personnel as well as to all employees and staff responsible for investigating complaints and other reports of discrimination, including harassment, based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics (including antisemitism).
4. Conduct annual training on discrimination based on national origin, including harassment based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, for all faculty, staff, and students.
5. Conduct a review of the university's response to complaints and reports of antisemitic and other shared ancestry discrimination during the 2023-2024 academic year, and take necessary remedial actions.
6. Provide OCR with information regarding any complaints alleging discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of shared ancestry during the 2024-2025 school year, and complete additional steps as directed by OCR.
7. Administer a climate survey to students and staff and create an action plan, subject to OCR approval, in response to concerns raised in the survey.

"The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has now agreed to take the steps necessary to ensure its education community can learn, teach, and work without an unredressed antisemitic hostile environment, or any other hostility related to stereotypes about shared ancestry," said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. "OCR will work with the University in the coming years to ensure its fulfillment of this core federal civil rights guarantee."

The resolution letter and resolution agreement are available on the Office for Civil Rights website.

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