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An investigation from the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found Columbia University violated civil rights in its failure to address antisemitism on campus.

HHS said on Thursday Columbia “failed” to adhere to its own policies regarding responding to complaints from Jewish students and enforcing punishments on students engaging in vandalism and illegal and disruptive protests, according to an announcement from the department. Columbia previously caved to the administration’s demands for tackling discrimination on campus after the administration threatened hundreds of millions in federal funding.

“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,” Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS, said in a statement. “We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students.”

The Notice of Violation sent to Columbia was issued in conjunction with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

The university also allegedly failed “To establish effective reporting and remediation mechanisms for antisemitism until the summer of 2024,” HHS said.

“We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government,” a Columbia spokesman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus. We take these issues seriously and will work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to address them.”

Columbia has faced heat from the administration ever since it became the hotspot for antisemitic protests since the start of the Gaza War in 2023. The university reportedly failed to enforce meaningful punishment on over 100 students involved in pro-Hamas demonstrations, from unauthorized encampments to the overtaking of a campus building during which a university employee was reportedly held hostage.

The Ivy League school agreed in March to several demands from the administration in an effort to earn back the $400 million revoked from it the previous month. The demands included banning masks on campus, hiring additional campus police officers, bolstering its disciplinary office staff and enforcing the protest rules Columbia already has on the books. The university did not address the request for it to adjust its international student admission policy to better vet incoming foreign students.

Despite its “record of failures,” the Department of Education recently stated it “is encouraged” by Columbia’s response to recent antisemitic protests on campus.

AUTHOR

Jaryn Crouson

Contributor.

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday revoked its own grants from Harvard University over its alleged failure to address antisemitism.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the department is canceling two grants totaling $2.7 million to the school as part of a continued crack down against antisemitism on campus, according to a press release. Noem said the school is “unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”

“Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” said Secretary Noem. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”

The Secretary wrote Harvard a letter demanding details on any violent and illegal activities committed by foreign student visa holders. The letter warned that, if the records were not turned over by April 30, Harvard would lose its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification and be unable to admit foreign students altogether.

Noem claims the $800,303 Implementation Science for Targeted Violence Prevention grant “branded conservatives as far-right dissidents in a shockingly skewed study,” while the $1,934,902 Blue Campaign Program Evaluation and Violence Advisement grant “funded Harvard’s public health propaganda.”

“Both undermine America’s values and security,” the press release stated. “With a $53.2 billion endowment, Harvard can fund its own chaos—DHS won’t.”

The Trump administration on April 11 demanded Harvard agree to a list of reforms to the way it handles antisemitism after a September congressional investigation found “Harvard failed” to enforce meaningful punishment on nearly 70 students who were involved in a multi-day pro-Hamas encampment during the previous spring semester. The changes asked of the school included reforming and better enforcing disciplinary processes for students who participate in antisemitic protests, improving screening of international students for “hostile” views towards America and auditing “programs with egregious records of antisemitism.”

In a public statement Monday afternoon, Harvard declared it “will not surrender” and refused the proposal. The Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, made up of the Department of Education (ED), Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) swiftly revoked over $2 billion in grants to the university hours later.

“Harvard is aware of the Department of Homeland Security’s letter regarding grant cancellations and scrutiny of foreign student visas, which—like the Administration’s announcement of the freeze of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts, and reports of the revocation of Harvard’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status—follows on the heels of our statement that Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” a Harvard spokesman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We continue to stand by that statement. We will continue to comply with the law and expect the Administration to do the same.”

“Harvard values the rule of law and expects all members of our community to comply with University policies and applicable legal standards. If federal action is taken against a member of our community, we expect it will be based on clear evidence, follow established legal procedures, and respect the constitutional rights afforded to all individuals,” the spokesman continued.

AUTHOR

Jaryn Crouson

Contributor.

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Jaryn Crouson

Jaryn Crouson