The University of Cincinnati is one of 60 colleges being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) over accusations of antisemitic harassment and discrimination.
The department says it sent letters to each institution warning them they may lose federal funding if they're found to have violated their obligations to protect Jewish students on campus under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
In a statement shared with WVXU Tuesday, a UC spokesperson said the university doesn't tolerate harassment of anyone.
"Any form of discrimination or harassment, including that based on shared ancestry such as antisemitism, will not be tolerated. We remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering a civil, respectful and supportive environment for all," the statement read.
The investigations come in the wake of the arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University who was a prominent figure in the student-organized campus protests against Israel's occupation of Gaza.
Khalil was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers over the weekend and is facing deportation, despite being a green-card holder and lawful U.S. resident. A federal judge in New York has halted his deportation.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon says the investigations are in response to a lack of effort by universities to combat harassment of Jewish students over the past year.
"The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year," she said in a statement. "U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investment funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws."
Several student-organized pro-Palestinian protests were held on UC's campus after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Protests and student encampments also occurred at Ohio State University, which is under investigation by the OCR as well. Student protestors at Miami University also set up an encampment, but Miami was not listed as one of the schools under investigation.
An anonymous complaint was filed with the OCR against the University of Cincinnati in late 2023, alleging there had been a spike in antisemitic incidents on campus and vandalism of a door at a Jewish fraternity house. The complaint alleges Jewish student organizations reported harassment to different UC offices and administrators, but no action was taken.
The complaint was resolved in Dec. 2024, when UC entered a voluntary agreement with the Department of Education to enhance its efforts to prevent discrimination and review past reports of harassment.
UC says it investigated the anonymous complaint and couldn't find any such vandalism of a Jewish fraternity door or any complaints of verbal harassment of Jewish students that went unaddressed. The OCR's website shows no other complaints filed against the university related to the harassment of Jewish students.
