Topline
The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday night that its investigation found that Columbia University violated federal civil rights laws by not taking adequate action against harassment of its Jewish students, the latest criticism of the university by the Trump administration—which has already slashed $400 million worth of funding to the school.
The HHS said its investigation found Columbia University acted “with deliberate indifference towards … More
Key Facts
In a statement, HHS said its Office for Civil Rights said the university violated federal civil rights laws by “acting with deliberate indifference towards student-on-student harassment of Jewish students from October 7, 2023, through the present.”
The statement said the University acted with “deliberate indifference” towards the harassment ment by failing to set up an “effective reporting” mechanism before the summer of 2024 and failing to “punish vandalism in its classrooms.”
The HHS also accused the university of failing to abide by its own policies and procedures in both dealing with the misconduct and responding to Jewish students’ complaints.
Anthony Archeval, the HHS civil rights office’s acting director, said the agency is encouraging the university to “work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students.”
Columbia told various news outlets that it understands this finding is “part of our ongoing discussions with the government,” and it will work closely with the government to address the issues.
No fresh action against the university was announced in the statement.
Crucial Quote
“The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being,” Archeval said.
Key Background
Columbia has emerged as a key target in the Trump administration’s push to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests across major U.S. educational institutions. In March, the Trump administration announced it was canceling $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia University, alleging “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” A few weeks later, the University said it had agreed to several demands made by the Trump administration, including restrictions on masks, new campus police officers and more oversight for some departments. The Trump administration’s crackdown also targeted foreign nationals who participated in the students’ protests, many of whose visas were revoked. The most high-profile of such cases involved Columbia graduate student and protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, who the Trump administration is attempting to deport from the U.S. despite him being a green card holder.
