The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Friday that Rutgers University has resolved three federal complaints alleging widespread discrimination and harassment against students based on national origin and shared ancestry.
The complaints spanned the university’s four Chancellor-Led Units (CLUs): New Brunswick, Newark, Camden, and Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences (RBHS).
The allegations stemmed from over 400 reports filed between July 2023 and June 2024. These included 293 complaints of discrimination and harassment against students of shared Jewish ancestry or Israeli national origin and 147 complaints involving Palestinian, Arab, South Asian, and Muslim ancestry.
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The investigation highlighted incidents that pointed to Title VI compliance concerns, which prohibit discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in federally funded programs.
Threats and Harassment: Social media posts encouraging violence against an Israeli student and threats against members of a Jewish fraternity.
Vandalism: A dorm room door defaced with a swastika and a mezuzah desecrated. Similarly, the Bildner Center for Jewish Studies and the Center for Islamic Life were targeted.
Protests and Exclusion: Protest chants such as “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want Zionists here” and allegations that Jewish students were prohibited from entering a campus encampment.
Doxxing: Personal information of students, based on perceived national origin or ancestry, was circulated online.
Unequal Treatment: Flyers and materials promoting Palestinian causes were removed, while others promoting unrelated causes remained.
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OCR’s investigation suggested that Rutgers likely operated a hostile environment based on national origin and shared ancestry without appropriate redress. Evidence indicated that students faced discriminatory treatment, including being targeted for their ethnicity, perceived national origin, or association with certain groups.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon stated, “Rutgers University has committed to resolution terms that will address serious Title VI non-compliance indicated in their records… OCR looks forward to the change that will come for Rutgers University as a result of this agreement.”
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Rutgers has pledged to implement a comprehensive plan to address these issues, including:
- Policy Review: Revising policies to better address discrimination and harassment.
- Training Programs: Conducting annual training for staff, investigators, and campus police to handle incidents of discrimination impartially and effectively.
- Student Engagement: Organizing listening sessions with affinity groups and conducting climate assessments to gauge the university’s environment.
- Complaint Review: Reassessing past complaints from academic years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 for equitable resolution.
- Public Accountability: Issuing a statement affirming zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment.
“Students at Rutgers University, like all students in this country, deserve to learn and thrive in environments free from discrimination and harassment,” said Lhamon. “We are encouraged by Rutgers’ commitment to taking necessary action to meet its civil rights obligations.”
As part of the resolution, the university must provide updates and data to OCR to monitor progress.
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