4 Washington colleges get warnings from Education Dept. about antisemitic behavior
Mar 11, 2025, 1:24 PM | Updated: 1:26 pm

Pro-Palestinian protesters have set up an encampment at the UW campus. (Photo: James Lynch, 成人X站 Newsradio)
(Photo: James Lynch, 成人X站 Newsradio)
The Department of Education (DOE) has issued a warning to four colleges in Washington, urging them to address antisemitic discrimination and harassment.
The University of Washington (UW), Eastern Washington University (EWU), Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) and Whitman College are among 59 schools nationwide that were sent letters from the department’s 听on Monday.
鈥淭he 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. University leaders must do better,鈥 Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said 听鈥淯.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.鈥
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Antisemitic behavior could mean losing federal funding
The DOE warned the schools of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus. According to the , Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
The potential investigation of the UW raises concerns about the possibility of losing federal funding. University spokesperson Victor Balta said in an email obtained by that he has not yet seen the letter.
鈥淭he University of Washington stands firmly against antisemitism and agreed with the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Office of Civil Rights earlier this year to five actions that will strengthen the UW鈥檚 commitment to timely and effective responses to complaints filed by students, faculty and staff,鈥 Balta wrote in a statement.
UW was cleared of wrongdoing in a discrimination investigation earlier this year.
“The University of Washington is a major research institution with a lot at stake,” Regina Sassoon Friedland, Regional Director of the American Jewish Committee Seattle, told KOMO 4.
There were protests across many universities over the summer that led to the investigations.
Title VI is meant to ensure uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities. The letters are addressed to all U.S. universities that are presently under investigation for Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.
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Full nationwide list
According to DOE, the universities that received letters include:
- American University
- Arizona State University
- Boston University
- Brown University
- California State University, Sacramento
- Chapman University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Drexel University
- Eastern Washington University
- Emerson College
- George Mason University
- Harvard University
- Illinois Wesleyan University
- Indiana University, Bloomington
- Johns Hopkins University
- Lafayette College
- Lehigh University
- Middlebury College
- Muhlenberg College
- Northwestern University
- Ohio State University
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Pomona College
- Portland State University
- Princeton University
- Rutgers University
- Rutgers University-Newark
- Santa Monica College
- Sarah Lawrence College
- Stanford University
- State University of New York Binghamton
- State University of New York Rockland
- State University of New York, Purchase
- Swarthmore College
- Temple University
- The New School
- Tufts University
- Tulane University
- Union College
- University of California Davis
- University of California San Diego
- University of California Santa Barbara
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Hawaii at Manoa
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- University of North Carolina
- University of South Florida
- University of Southern California
- University of Tampa
- University of Tennessee
- University of Virginia
- University of Washington-Seattle
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Wellesley College
- Whitman College
- Yale University
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