Latest news with #RawanAbbasi
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbia's accreditation threatened over harassment of Jewish students
June 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Education is threatening Columbia University's accreditation because the agency said the New York private school violated Title IX by not cracking down on harassment of Jewish students. The federal department on Wednesday notified the nonprofit and private Middle States Commission on Higher Education that Columbia is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the commission. On May 22, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights "determined that Columbia University acted with deliberate indifference toward the harassment of Jewish students, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." The act prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin. "Specifically, OCR and HHS OCR found that Columbia failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia's campus and consequently denied these students' equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law," the release Wednesday said. In a statement posted on its website: "Columbia is aware of the concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights today to our accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and we have addressed those concerns directly with Middle States. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it." Under federal law, private accreditors are required to notify any member institution about a federal noncompliance finding and establish a plan to come into compliance. An accreditor must take appropriate action against a member institution if they remain noncompliant. "In light of OCR's determination, Columbia University no longer appears to meet the Commission's accreditation standards," the Education Department said. On Feb. 3, OCR initiated a directed investigation of Columbia University on the harassment. When an institution does not meet accreditation standards, it may be placed on probation or issued a warning, according to the Middle States Commission. Rawan Abbasi, assistant director for communications for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, told NBCNews the accreditor is "aware of the press release issued today by the United States Department of Education (USDE) regarding Columbia University and can confirm that we received a letter regarding this matter this afternoon. In March, the Trump administration paused $400 million in federal funding, including for medical and scientific research, at Columbia. In May, the school said it had agreed to the administration's demands regarding the harassment of Jewish students. The school said it was forced cut 180 staffers whose jobs were funded by the federal grants. Despite the Trump administration's actions, students protested the war like last year's encampments. On May 7, two Columbia University Public Safety officers were injured after 100 pro-Palestinian protesters forced their way into the campus' library in "actions that are outrageous," the university president said. About 22.8% of Columbia's 6,578 undergraduate students, or 1,500, are Jewish, according to Hillel International. Jewish graduate school enrollment is 15.9% of the 22,000 total. "After Hamas' October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University's leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the news release. "This is not only immoral, but also unlawful. Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. "They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards. The war in the Middle East began when Hamas invaded Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds more hostage. Israel retaliated on the Gaza Strip, and more than 54,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. McMahan said she looked forward to the "Commission keeping the Department fully informed of actions taken to ensure Columbia's compliance with accreditation standards, including compliance with federal civil rights laws." President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April, called Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, that the department "has an obligation to promptly provide accreditors with any noncompliance findings related to member institutions." Other universities have told to comply school policy changes or risk losing federal funding after they were accused of tolerating antisemitism on campus or other violations. On May 29, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from its attempt to deny Harvard University's ability to admit international students. The Trump administration has paused $2.2 billion in funding and canceled remaining contracts for the school in Cambridge, Mass., after the private school rejected demands, including changes to its hiring practices and policies regarding "viewpoint diversity" on campus.
UPI
2 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Columbia's accreditation threatened over harassment of Jewish students
June 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Education is threatening Columbia University's accreditation because the agency said the New York private school violated Title IX by not cracking down on harassment of Jewish students. The federal department on Wednesday notified the nonprofit and private Middle States Commission on Higher Education that Columbia is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the commission. On May 22, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights "determined that Columbia University acted with deliberate indifference toward the harassment of Jewish students, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." The act prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin. "Specifically, OCR and HHS OCR found that Columbia failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia's campus and consequently denied these students' equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law," the release Wednesday said. In a statement posted on its website: "Columbia is aware of the concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights today to our accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and we have addressed those concerns directly with Middle States. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it." Under federal law, private accreditors are required to notify any member institution about a federal noncompliance finding and establish a plan to come into compliance. An accreditor must take appropriate action against a member institution if they remain noncompliant. "In light of OCR's determination, Columbia University no longer appears to meet the Commission's accreditation standards," the Education Department said. On Feb. 3, OCR initiated a directed investigation of Columbia University on the harassment. When an institution does not meet accreditation standards, it may be placed on probation or issued a warning, according to the Middle States Commission. Rawan Abbasi, assistant director for communications for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, told NBCNews the accreditor is "aware of the press release issued today by the United States Department of Education (USDE) regarding Columbia University and can confirm that we received a letter regarding this matter this afternoon. In March, the Trump administration paused $400 million in federal funding, including for medical and scientific research, at Columbia. In May, the school said it had agreed to the administration's demands regarding the harassment of Jewish students. The school said it was forced cut 180 staffers whose jobs were funded by the federal grants. Despite the Trump administration's actions, students protested the war like last year's encampments. On May 7, two Columbia University Public Safety officers were injured after 100 pro-Palestinian protesters forced their way into the campus' library in "actions that are outrageous," the university president said. About 22.8% of Columbia's 6,578 undergraduate students, or 1,500, are Jewish, according to Hillel International. Jewish graduate school enrollment is 15.9% of the 22,000 total. "After Hamas' October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University's leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the news release. "This is not only immoral, but also unlawful. Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. "They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards. The war in the Middle East began when Hamas invaded Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds more hostage. Israel retaliated on the Gaza Strip, and more than 54,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. McMahan said she looked forward to the "Commission keeping the Department fully informed of actions taken to ensure Columbia's compliance with accreditation standards, including compliance with federal civil rights laws." President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April, called Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, that the department "has an obligation to promptly provide accreditors with any noncompliance findings related to member institutions." Other universities have told to comply school policy changes or risk losing federal funding after they were accused of tolerating antisemitism on campus or other violations. On May 29, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from its attempt to deny Harvard University's ability to admit international students. The Trump administration has paused $2.2 billion in funding and canceled remaining contracts for the school in Cambridge, Mass., after the private school rejected demands, including changes to its hiring practices and policies regarding "viewpoint diversity" on campus.
