Three New York colleges – including Columbia, Cornell and Cooper Union – are among seven schools being investigated by the Department of Education over complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus.
The federal investigation — the first of its kind since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel — involves five reported cases of antisemitism and two of Islamophobia at six US colleges and school districts, an administration official told CNN.
The three higher education institutions in New York that are in focus are Columbia University, Cornell University and the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Columbia, along with other New York institutions such as Cornell University and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and the Arts, are being investigated over complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus. Reuters
The other schools are Wellesley College in Massachusetts, the University of Pennsylvania and Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, and the Maize school district, which has K-12 students, in Kansas, according to a list on the federal department’s website.
Following the investigation, DOE will offer recommendations to schools, which could lose federal funding if they don’t comply, administration officials told CNN.
“Hatred has no place in our school, period. When students are targeted because they are — or are perceived to be — Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or any other ethnic or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure a safe and inclusive educational environment where everyone is free to learn,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and the Arts will be investigated by the Department of Education. Getty Images
The schools under investigation have faced heat over the past month as acts of hate have exploded on college campuses since Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and the Jewish state retaliated against the terror group in Gaza.
A 21-year-old Cornell student has been arrested for allegedly making violent threats against his Jewish peers in a series of online messages. The threat came just days after graffiti was scrawled on campus sidewalks, including “F—k Israel” and “Zionism = Racism.”
Two left-leaning student groups were suspended by Columbia this month after the organization “repeatedly violated University policy” related to holding campus events that involved “threatening rhetoric and intimidation,” the Ivy League school said.
The schools under investigation have faced backlash over the past month for acts of hate on their college campuses since Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and the Jewish state retaliated against the terror group in Gaza. Getty Images
Before that, more than 200 faculty members signed a letter saying they were “shocked by the antisemitic incidents” on the Manhattan campus.
And Jewish students at Cooper Union said they feared for their safety when they were locked inside the library last month as pro-Palestinian protesters soaked the doors and windows.
The DOE issued guidance to K-12 schools and colleges earlier this month that emphasized institutions have a legal obligation to address incidents of discrimination.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
