Trump administration finds George Washington University failed to address campus antisemitism
The university did not respond to a request for comment.
GWU was one of 10 colleges the federal task force on combating antisemitism said it would visit due to antisemitic incidents on campus since October 2023.
In a letter sent Tuesday to President Ellen Granberg, the DOJ said Jewish students and faculty were 'subjected to a hostile educational environment that was objectively offensive, severe, and pervasive.'
Agency officials pointed to protests last year — including an encampment in the GWU's University Yard in the center of campus — that they said were disruptive and attempted to 'frighten' and 'intimidate' Jewish students. The notice also included examples of students being harassed while crossing campus or counterprotesting, as well as instances when university officials and police failed to intervene.
'To be clear, Jewish students were afraid to attend class, to be observed, or, worse, to be 'caught' and perhaps physically beaten on GWU's campus,' the letter said, adding that the university received at least eight complaints of antisemitic discrimination because of the protests.
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