The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced an investigation into alleged discrimination against Jewish students at a “prestigious midwest university,” which multiple media outlets have reported is Northwestern.
In a Tuesday news release, HHS stated that its Civil Rights Office is investigating a midwestern university for alleged civil rights violations, following a complaint from “a multi-stakeholder advocacy organization.”
“We are currently reviewing the request from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights for information around specific events, policies and procedures,” a University spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily.
The HHS’ investigation joins multiple other federal investigations into NU as part of a governmental effort to combat what the U.S. Department of Education called “widespread antisemitic harassment” on campuses nationwide.
According to the release, the Title VI investigation will determine if the University “complied with its obligations” to not discriminate against Jewish students in any way which would deny them “an educational opportunity or benefit.”
“The complainant organization alleges systemic concerns regarding the University’s actions to maintain a campus climate, academic direction, and institutional policy that ensures nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin,” the release said.
An HHS spokesperson declined to comment on the record to The Daily.
The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights sent warning letters to 60 universities in March, including NU, informing them of potential enforcement actions if they do not adhere to Title VI.
The HHS investigation comes after 18 NU students traveled to Washington last week to meet with lawmakers about alleged antisemitism on NU’s campus. The trip was organized by the Coalition Against Antisemitism at NU — an advocacy and lobbying group of thousands of Jewish students, faculty, parents and other NU community members.
According to a University spokesperson, NU has “strengthened” the Student Code of Conduct and University-wide policies — including introducing mandatory antisemitism training for faculty, staff and students.
“There is no place for antisemitism at Northwestern and the steps we have taken since last summer have dramatically improved the safety of our Jewish students,” the spokesperson wrote in the statement. “There has been a significant decrease in reports of discrimination or harassment based on antisemitism or shared Jewish ancestry in the current academic year.”
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— The Daily Explains: Where Northwestern stands in federal antisemitism investigations
