Quick Take:
The UC system will overhaul its discrimination policies after federal investigators found it failed to address antisemitic and anti-Muslim harassment during Gaza protests at five campuses, including UC Santa Cruz.
The University of California agreed to overhaul its handling of discrimination complaints after federal investigators found it failed to adequately address harassment of both Jewish and Muslim students during protests over the Gaza war at five of its campuses, including UC Santa Cruz.
The agreement, announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, follows an investigation into nine complaints at UC campuses. Federal officials concluded the universities had not responded “promptly or effectively” to reports of both antisemitic and anti-Arab discrimination. The agreement comes amid heightened tensions on UC campuses since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.
Federal investigators said UCSC failed to properly handle several complaints, including allegations that the school’s Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Department posted what complainants alleged was “anti-Zionist propaganda” on its website.
The investigation reviewed claims that faculty members encouraged students to boycott classes and join protests in support of Gaza in late 2023. Tensions came to a head at the school in the spring, when protesters established a Palestine solidarity encampment on campus, which was broken up by police in late May.
Investigators said they also reviewed allegations that the UCSC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine fostered a hostile environment by demanding the school sever ties with “Zionist institutions.” Another complaint involved a celebration of Adolf Hitler’s birthday held by students on campus last year.
Federal officials said they had not finished reviewing the allegations when UCSC and four other UC campuses agreed to resolve the complaints voluntarily.
Under the agreement, the UC must review complaints of harassment against Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Palestinian and Arab community members from the past two academic years and implement new training programs for staff and faculty.
The university must also conduct climate assessments to evaluate discrimination on campus and get federal approval before making any changes to policies related to discrimination based on race, skin color or national origin.