Columbia University violated federal civil rights law by failing to protect Jewish students from harassment, according to the findings of investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights.
Anthony Archeval, the office’s acting director, said the findings document the “hostile environment” that Jewish students at Columbia endured over the past 19 months, disrupting their education and well-being.
The university allegedly failed to investigate or discipline students who vandalized classrooms with drawings of swastikas and other universally recognized hate symbols, according to the office.
The investigation also found that Columbia did not enforce restrictions on campus protests, follow its own policies when handling complaints from Jewish students, or establish remediation mechanisms to combat anti-Semitism until last summer.
The office stated that the investigation included witness interviews and a review of written policies, media reports, and reports from the university’s task force on combating anti-Semitism on campus.
“We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students,” Archeval stated.
The notice of violation to Columbia was jointly issued and signed by the Office for Civil Rights at HHS and the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, a Columbia spokesperson said the university takes anti-Semitism issues seriously and will work with both the HHS and the Department of Education to address them.
Recent Protest at Columbia University
The findings were released just days after protesters occupied a reading room at Columbia’s Butler Library on May 7, leading to the arrest of dozens of individuals.Shipman said that people involved were repeatedly asked for identification and to leave the premises. They were also warned of potential consequences for failing to comply with university protocols.
“We firmly believe that our international students have the same rights to freedom of speech as everyone else, and should not be targeted by the government for exercising that right,” Shipman said.
Khalil, a lawful permanent resident in the United States but not a citizen, was arrested on March 8 in his university apartment—the first of several arrests resulting from the Trump administration’s policy of deporting students who took part in the protests and riots at major universities across the United States in 2024.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that Khalil qualified for deportation under the under the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952, which allows the secretary to make the determination that a noncitizen’s continued presence in the United States poses a risk to the government’s foreign policy aims.
In March, the Department of Education revoked more than $400 million in federal research funding to Columbia University over its alleged failure to adequately address anti-Semitism on campus.
The move forced Columbia to lay off nearly 180 staff members, which represent about 20 percent of university employees who were funded by the now-terminated federal grants.
The university stated that the financial strain is “intense,” which caused it to reduce expenditures and scale back research infrastructure in some areas.
