Latest news with #Archeval
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Violation of Jewish students' civil rights at Columbia': Trump administration
Columbia University An investigation by the administration of US President Donald Trump has found that Columbia University hashowed "deliberate indifference" towards harassment of its Jewish students, throughout the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. This puts the prestigious New York school in violation of the Civil Rights Act, 1964, Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at Health and Human Services (HHS), said. "Our 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," the New York Post quoted Archeval as saying. The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023. 'We encourage Columbia to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students,' Archeval added. The HHS findings concluded that Columbia allegedly failed to 'investigate or punish vandalism in its classrooms, which include the repeated drawing of swastikas and other universally recognized hate images,' and did not 'establish effective reporting and remediation mechanisms for antisemitism until the summer of 2024.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning For Working Professionals. BITS Pilani WILP Apply Now Undo 'Committed to combating antisemitism': Columbia University Columbia told Axios in response to the Trump administration's investigation that it is 'committed to combating antisemitism." 'We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting 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,' a spokesperson told the outlet. No additional actions suggested against Columbia The HHS findings, however, did not include any new actions against the university. In March, the federal government announced cancellation of $400 million in federal grants to the Ivy League school over its 'failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.' The funding cancellation came after more than a year of incidents that included large-scale protests, antisemitic harassment following the Hamas attack on Israel, and the subsequent outbreak of the war in Gaza. In response, Columbia announced it would cooperate with the order, instituting numerous policy changes in direct accordance with a list of reforms requested by a joint task force composed of the Department of Education, the General Services Administration, and Health and Human Services. Among the changes, the university banned all face coverings on campus worn 'for the purpose of concealing one's identity in the commission of violations of university policies or state, municipal or federal laws.'
Fox News
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump admin responds to Maine's reluctance to ban trans athletes from girls' sports
As Maine continues to defy President Donald Trump's executive order to ban trans athletes from girls' sports, the administration has ramped up its focus on the state as one of the key battlegrounds over the issue. Earlier this week, Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights (OCR) officially announced it found the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals' Association and Greely High School in violation of Title IX for its continued enabling of trans inclusion in girls' sports. Now, OCR acting director Anthony Archeval has provided a statement to Fox News Digital warning of potential consequences for continued defiance of the executive order. "What HHS is asking of the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals' Association, and Greely High School is simple – protect female athletes' rights. Girls deserve girls-only sports without male competitors. And if Maine won't come to the table to voluntarily comply with Title IX, HHS will enforce Title IX to the fullest extent permitted by the law," Archeval said. HHS' initial announcement that the entities had violated Title IX also warned that the state had 10 days to correct its policies through a signed agreement or risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for appropriate action. The Trump administration recently has reportedly made good on its vow to cut federal funding to enforce the executive order. On Wednesday, FOX Business reported that $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania has been paused over its past inclusion of trans athletes in women's sports. Last week, a temporary pause was put on Department of Agriculture funding to Maine University System, Fox News Digital reported. That funding has since been reinstated. Now, Archeval's warning comes one day after the Maine Principal's Association issued a response to the Trump administration's declaration that the state had violated Title IX. "The alleged violation is due to MPA's policy which is a direct result of the Maine Human Rights Acts mandate that athletes be allowed to participate on the teams which align with their gender identity. MPA's policy is consistent with Maine State Law," the response read. "The determination that MPA has violated Title IX first requires that MPA be beholden to Title IX due to receiving direct or indirect funding from the federal government. In short, a small portion of our funding comes from 151 member schools who receive the majority of their funding from local property taxes and the state. The vast majority of our funding comes from ticket sales, sponsorships, streaming, television and other contracts. Therefore, it is MPA's position that HHS does not have Title IX jurisdiction over MPA." HHS served a notice of violation to the state of Maine on Feb. 25 and declared the state violated Title IX by allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports, Fox News Digital reported. HHS later expanded the scope of the investigation to include the Maine Principals' Association and Greely High School. Maine became a focal point on the issue after state lawmaker Laurel Libby pointed out a biological male had won a girls' pole vault competition for Greely High School in early February. Trump then vowed to cut funding to the state for refusing to follow his order on Feb. 20, during a meeting of GOP governors. Gov. Janet Mills' office responded with a statement threatening legal action against the Trump administration if it withheld federal funding from the state the next day. Then Trump and Mills verbally sparred in a widely publicized argument at the White House during a bipartisan meeting of governors. Just hours after that interaction, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would investigate the state for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports and for potential Title IX violations. Meanwhile, Libby has since been censured by the state legislature over her initial social media post that pointed out the trans athlete, and she has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to have the censure overturned. The controversy has even incited a protest against Mills called the "March Against Mills" outside Maine's State House on March 1. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
