UMass Amherst under federal investigation for discrimination amid Israeli-Palestinian unrest

A growing number of universities across the country are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for discrimination, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst is one of the latest to be added to that list.

Many of these investigations are linked to allegations of anti-Semitism and anti-Palestinian actions following the war between Israel and Hamas. University campuses have been in full tension since the outbreak of war on October 7. This week, students from Boston to California set up encampments to protest the Israeli army’s conduct in Gaza, where more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and the risk of famine is great. “very high.” Around 1,200 people were killed in the initial Hamas attack, and more than 100 Israelis remain hostages.

Some students also called on their universities to sever alleged ties with the Israeli military. Hundreds of people have been arrested in recent days.

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights maintains a list of institutions currently under investigation for discrimination “involving common ancestry.” These institutions can be public or private colleges, as well as school districts. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in educational institutions receiving federal funding.

The list, which includes 137 open investigations, is updated weekly. It is unclear how many investigations are directly linked to the Gaza war, but 93 were opened after October 7.

There are two open investigations into UMass Amherst. One was opened on February 26, the other on April 16. The first investigation alleges that the university discriminated against students based on their shared Jewish ancestry “when it failed to respond appropriately to incidents of harassment that occurred in October and November 2023.” The second alleges that UMass allows an “anti-Palestinian hostile environment” on campus, a spokesperson said in a statement to Boston.com on Thursday.

The first complaint was filed by the editor-in-chief of Campus Reform, a conservative media outlet, according to a report from that media outlet. He claims UMass officials failed to take “concrete steps” to combat anti-Jewish hatred after two incidents in the fall. One of these incidents reportedly involved a former Campus Reform reporter.

UMass officials have not seen that complaint but are aware of the campus reform report, the spokesperson said.

The most recent complaint was filed by Palestine Legal, a New York-based advocacy group, on behalf of a group of UMass students. They were targets of “extreme anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab harassment” from other students, the group said. One student was allegedly physically assaulted, while others were subjected to racist insults and death threats, according to the complaint.

“Students have the right to speak out against the genocide of Palestinians, without fear of harassment or being denied access to education by their university,” said Radhika Sainath, senior attorney at Palestine Legal, in a press release.

In October, dozens of pro-Palestinian students were arrested after participating in a sit-in outside the chancellor’s office. Some have therefore lost their eligibility to study abroad.

The UMass spokesperson said the university does not tolerate discrimination and condemned “hate in all its forms.” UMass officials are committed to fully cooperating with federal investigators in investigating these complaints.

“Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or any form of bigotry have no place in our community, and we are committed to ensuring that our community’s engagement with opposing viewpoints is maintained in a respectful manner,” he said. the university said in a statement.

Sainath said The Boston World this week, the suit was filed on behalf of more than 18 UMass students.

“The way UMass treated us shows bias, and we think it’s important that that comes to light,” Maysoun Batley, a UMass Amherst official involved in the complaint, told the newspaper. World.