Latest news with #AnthonyArcheval
Yomiuri Shimbun
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Administration Says Columbia Violated Civil Rights of Jewish Students
The Associated Press A group of protesters in support of Palestinians march away from Columbia University on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration is accusing Columbia University of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by 'acting with deliberate indifference' toward what it describes as rampant antisemitism on campus. The finding was announced late Thursday by the Health and Human Services Department, marking the latest blow for an Ivy League school already shaken by federal cutbacks and sustained government pressure to crack down on student speech. It comes hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration's monthslong attack on higher education. The civil rights division of HHS said it had found Columbia in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which blocks federal funding recipients from discrimination based on race, color or national origin. That final category, the press release notes, includes 'discrimination against individuals that is based on their actual or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or ancestry.' The announcement did not include new sanctions against Columbia, which is already facing $400 million in federal cuts by the Trump administration over its response to pro-Palestinian campus protests. A spokesperson for Columbia said the university is currently in negotiations with the government about resolving its claims of antisemitism. 'We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government,' the spokesperson said in an email. 'Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus.' The civil rights investigation into Columbia was based on witness interviews, media reports and other sources, according to HHS. The findings were not made public. A spokesperson did not response to a request for further information. 'The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being,' Anthony Archeval, acting director of the HHS civil rights office, said in a statement. Last spring, Columbia became the epicenter of protests against the war in Gaza, spurring a national movement of campus demonstrations that demanded universities cut ties with Israel. At the time, some Jewish students and faculty complained about being harassed during the demonstrations or ostracized because of their faith or their support of Israel. Those who participated in Columbia's protests, including some Jewish students, have said they are protesting Israel's actions against Palestinians and have forcefully denied allegations of antisemitism. Many have also accused the university of capitulating to the Trump administration's demands — including placing its Middle East studies department under new leadership — at the expense of academic freedom and protecting foreign students. At a commencement ceremony earlier this week, a speech by Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, was met with loud boos by graduates and chants of 'free Palestine.'
Hans India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Trump admin says Columbia University violates Jewish students' civil rights
Washington: The Trump administration has accused Columbia University of violating civil rights law by "acting with deliberate indifference" toward discrimination against Jewish students, including what it said was a failure to investigate vandalism in its classrooms, such as drawings of swastikas. The Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release on Thursday that it had conducted an investigation over a 19-month period beginning on October 7, 2023, the day Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip launched a surprise cross-border attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 people hostage, reports Xinhua news agency. "The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being," said Anthony Archeval, the acting director of the Office for Civil Rights. "We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement." "The announcement comes as the Trump administration is engaged in negotiations with Columbia over federal funding. The administration cut 400 million US dollars in contracts and grants to the school in March, saying the university had failed to sufficiently clamp down on acts of antisemitism on its campus," reported The Washington Post about the move. This comes against the backdrop of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cancelling Harvard's certification to use the SEVIS system -- Student and Exchange Visitor Information System -- in an escalation of US President Donald Trump's attack on the Ivy League school. The DHS decision had also told the university that foreign students on its rolls currently must transfer to another college or lose status. There are an estimated 780 Indian students and scholars at Harvard. However, a US judge in the state of Massachusetts on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's order.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal probe finds Columbia University showed ‘indifference' toward harassment of Jewish students
NEW YORK — A federal probe found Columbia University violated the rights of Jewish students since campus protests took hold following the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terror attack on Israel, the government announced this week. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that Columbia had shown 'deliberate indifference towards student-on-student harassment,' and renewed calls for an agreement between the Trump administration and the university. 'The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being,' Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. 'We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students.' The joint notice, which was not made public, was issued alongside the U.S. Department of Education, which did not return a request for comment on Thursday night. 'We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government,' the university said in a statement. 'Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus. We take these issues seriously and will work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to address them.' The investigation concluded that Columbia failed to create effective ways of reporting antisemitism until last summer, or abide by the university's own policies and procedures when responding to Jewish students' complaints. Its announcement also said Columbia did not investigate or take disciplinary action against vandalism, including multiple swastikas on university property, or enforce content-neutral restrictions on campus protests. The findings come as Columbia officials are negotiating with the Trump administration over $400 million in federal grants and contracts that were canceled last semester over allegations of antisemitism. Those cuts have resulted in the lay-offs of at least 180 researchers whose medical advancements and other projects were funded by the government. It was not clear on Thursday what the notice would mean for those negotiations, including if further cancellations were to be expected. Stand Columbia Society, a group of faculty and alumni, estimated more than $2 billion in federal funding is at risk across research grants, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, and student aid, as well as secondary effects such as cutting off international student enrollment. 'We are unequivocally and unapologetically for academic freedom, free expression, and institutional autonomy. But we are also for the continued partnership between the United States government and its leading universities,' the group wrote in a statement late Thursday. A source involved in discussions between the university and administration suggested the finding would be a necessary step the government would have to take before the parties could come to a resolution, though insisted no deal had been reached yet. Acting President Claire Shipman has previously stated Columbia would 'reject heavy-handed orchestration from the government,' especially if it relates to what gets taught at the university or who they hire. Federal health officials said their findings were based on witness interviews, Columbia's own policies, media reports, and reports from a university-wide task force on antisemitism. Columbia became the epicenter of campus protests against Israel's military campaign in Gaza when students pitched an encampment last spring calling on their administrators to divest from the war. The demonstration came to a head when a smaller group of protesters occupied Hamilton Hall, prompting the university to call in the NYPD and make mass arrests. More recently, dozens of students took over Butler Library to protest the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia graduate student, and what they see as Columbia's role in his arrest by federal immigration authorities in early March. Pro-Palestinian students and their allies have accused Columbia and the Trump administration of conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
23-05-2025
- Politics
Trump administration says Columbia violated civil rights of Jewish students
NEW YORK -- The Trump administration is accusing Columbia University of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by 'acting with deliberate indifference' toward what it describes as rampant antisemitism on campus. The finding was announced late Thursday by the Health and Human Services Department, marking the latest blow for an Ivy League school already shaken by federal cutbacks and sustained government pressure to crack down on student speech. It comes hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration's monthslong attack on higher education. The civil rights division of HHS said it had found Columbia in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which blocks federal funding recipients from discrimination based on race, color or national origin. That final category, the press release notes, includes 'discrimination against individuals that is based on their actual or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or ancestry.' The announcement did not include new sanctions against Columbia, which is already facing $400 million in federal cuts by the Trump administration over its response to pro-Palestinian campus protests. A spokesperson for Columbia said the university is currently in negotiations with the government about resolving its claims of antisemitism. 'We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government,' the spokesperson said in an email. 'Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus.' The civil rights investigation into Columbia was based on witness interviews, media reports and other sources, according to HHS. The findings were not made public. A spokesperson did not response to a request for further information. 'The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being,' Anthony Archeval, acting director of the HHS civil rights office, said in a statement. Last spring, Columbia became the epicenter of protests against the war in Gaza, spurring a national movement of campus demonstrations that demanded universities cut ties with Israel. At the time, some Jewish students and faculty complained about being harassed during the demonstrations or ostracized because of their faith or their support of Israel. Those who participated in Columbia's protests, including some Jewish students, have said they are protesting Israel's actions against Palestinians and have forcefully denied allegations of antisemitism. Many have also accused the university of capitulating to the Trump administration's demands — including placing its Middle East studies department under new leadership — at the expense of academic freedom and protecting foreign students. met with loud boos by graduates and chants of 'free Palestine."
Los Angeles Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Trump administration says Columbia violated civil rights of Jewish students
NEW YORK — The Trump administration is accusing Columbia University of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by 'acting with deliberate indifference' toward what it describes as rampant antisemitism on campus. The finding was announced late Thursday by the Health and Human Services Department, marking the latest blow for an Ivy League school already shaken by federal cutbacks and sustained government pressure to crack down on student speech. It comes hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration's monthslong attack on higher education. The civil rights division of HHS said it had found Columbia in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which blocks federal funding recipients from discrimination based on race, color or national origin. That final category, the press release notes, includes 'discrimination against individuals that is based on their actual or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or ancestry.' The announcement did not include new sanctions against Columbia, which is already facing $400 million in federal cuts by the Trump administration over its response to pro-Palestinian campus protests. A spokesperson for Columbia said the university is currently in negotiations with the government about resolving its claims of antisemitism. 'We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government,' the spokesperson said in an email. 'Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus.' The civil rights investigation into Columbia was based on witness interviews, media reports and other sources, according to HHS. The findings were not made public. A spokesperson did not response to a request for further information. 'The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being,' Anthony Archeval, acting director of the HHS civil rights office, said in a statement. Last spring, Columbia became the epicenter of protests against the war in Gaza, spurring a national movement of campus demonstrations that demanded universities cut ties with Israel. At the time, some Jewish students and faculty complained about being harassed during the demonstrations or ostracized because of their faith or their support of Israel. Those who participated in Columbia's protests, including some Jewish students, have said they are protesting Israel's actions against Palestinians and have forcefully denied allegations of antisemitism. Many have also accused the university of capitulating to the Trump administration's demands — including placing its Middle East studies department under new leadership — at the expense of academic freedom and protecting foreign students. At a commencement ceremony earlier this week, a speech by Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, was met with loud boos by graduates and chants of 'free Palestine.' Offenhartz writes for the Associated Press.
