{"id":12351,"date":"2023-11-10T21:18:49","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T21:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infundpros.com\/business\/civil-rights-complaints-allege-upenn-and-wellesley-allowed-antisemitism-to-run-rampant\/"},"modified":"2023-11-10T21:18:50","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T21:18:50","slug":"civil-rights-complaints-allege-upenn-and-wellesley-allowed-antisemitism-to-run-rampant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infundpros.com\/?p=12351","title":{"rendered":"Civil rights complaints allege UPenn and Wellesley allowed antisemitism to \u2018run rampant\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n A Jewish legal rights advocacy group has alleged that the University of Pennsylvania and Wellesley College have violated federal civil rights law by allowing for discrimination against Jews.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Brandeis Center, a Jewish civil rights legal organization, filed civil rights complaints with the US Department of Education on Thursday, alleging both schools failed to adequately respond to harassment of Jews.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThese colleges and universities have failed to keep Jewish students safe and are in clear violation of well-established federal civil rights law,\u201d Kenneth Marcus, founder and chairman of the Brandeis Center, said in a statement. \u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of talk about rooting out anti-Semitism on campuses, and it\u2019s time to hold these colleges accountable.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Marcus, a former assistant secretary of education, alleged the universities are \u201cletting Jewish discrimination run rampant\u201d and thanked students for having the \u201ccourage\u201d to come forward by sharing their statements in the complaints.\n <\/p>\n

\n The complaints argue both schools have violated\u00a0Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects people from discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.\n <\/p>\n

\n Neither UPenn nor\u00a0Wellesley responded to requests for comment.\n <\/p>\n

\n College campuses have been hit by a spike in tension over last month\u2019s terror attacks against Israel and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.\n <\/p>\n

\n The University of Pennsylvania\u00a0recently alerted the FBI\u00a0to a series of threatening antisemitic emails sent to the Ivy League school\u2019s staff. Earlier this week, \u201cvile\u201d antisemitic messages were projected onto several University of Pennsylvania campus buildings.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cPenn has allowed its campus to become a hostile environment for its Jewish students as well as a magnet for anti-Semites,\u201d the Brandeis complaint said, referring to the larger community surrounding the university.\n <\/p>\n

\n The\u00a027-page complaint\u00a0alleges \u201cPenn\u2019s nurturing of a hostile environment toward Jewish students is a patent violation of\u201d Title VI. It cited the recent antisemitic threats at UPenn as well as the\u00a0Palestine Writes Festival, a multi-day event on campus at UPenn in September that has been the focal point of a backlash among wealthy donors.\n <\/p>\n

\n Liz Magill, the school\u2019s president, condemned antisemitism broadly before that festival and noted that some speakers had a history of making antisemitic remarks.\n <\/p>\n

\n Facing calls for donors for her to step down,\u00a0Magill announced an action plan\u00a0on November 1 designed to\u00a0fight antisemitism\u00a0at UPenn.\n <\/p>\n

\n Magill posted an\u00a0Instagram message\u00a0on Thursday condemning the antisemitic messages posted on university buildings.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cFor generations, too many have masked antisemitism in hostile rhetoric. These reprehensible messages are an assault on our values and cause pain and fear for our Jewish community,\u201d Magill wrote on Instagram.\u00a0\u201cProjecting hateful messages on our campus is not debate, it is cowardice, and it has no place at Penn.\n <\/p>\n

\n The\u00a0Brandeis complaint about Wellesley\u00a0cited an email that a residential advisor (RA) at a school dormitory sent that allegedly said \u201cthere should be no space, no consideration, and no support for Zionism within the Wellesley College community.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN has not independently confirmed that allegation.\n <\/p>\n

\n Wellesley President Paula Johnson wrote in a\u00a0message\u00a0to the college community last month that it recently came to her attention that a \u201csmall number of student residence hall leaders from one dormitory sent a letter to their housemates in their capacity as resident assistants that expressed views on the Israel-Hamas conflict.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Johnson said Wellesley\u2019s student life team met with the students and \u201ctalked about their role and responsibility to support all students,\u201d adding that the RAs sent an apology to all students.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Brandeis complaint argued Wellesley\u2019s \u201cfailure to take a stronger stance and check the hostile environment\u201d violates Title VI.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis is an exceedingly challenging time on college campuses,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe terrorist attacks by Hamas, the ensuing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and the tremendous loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives have inflamed passions and sparked fierce debates around the world that go far beyond the politics and history of the region.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Johnson previously issued a\u00a0statement\u00a0where she condemned the Hamas terror attacks.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Department of Education sent guidance to colleges and universities this week reminding them about their legal responsibility to protect students from discrimination.\n <\/p>\n

\n In an\u00a0interview with CNN\u2019s Rene Marsh, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona acknowledged the agency could withhold federal support, but said that wouldn\u2019t be the first action. Cardona said first the department would provide support and guidance as well as investigate egregious acts.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cUltimately, if we have to withhold dollars from a campus refusing to comply, we would,\u201d Cardona said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Meanwhile, the backlash among wealthy donors from some Ivy League schools continues.\n <\/p>\n

\n Billionaire Henry Swieca recently stepped down from the board of trustee at Columbia Business School, the university confirmed to CNN on Friday. Swieca, a Wall Street veteran,\u00a0reportedly\u00a0resigned in protest to how Columbia has responded to antisemitism.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cColumbia Business School received a letter from Henry Swieca on October 30 announcing his resignation from the Board, and the administration thanks him for his service to the School,\u201d a Columbia spokesperson said in a statement.\n <\/p>\n

\n Swieca did not respond to a request for comment.\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n