Rutgers settles bias complaints with feds
By: Habba Adely
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Rutgers University will review polices and complaints and conduct training to counter discrimination against Jewish, Palestinian and other students based on national origin and shared ancestry, according to a settlement with the U.S. department of Education.
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The department's Office for Civil Rights announced the settlement Thursday [01/02/2025] in responds to claims of a hostile environment that involved hundreds of allegations of discrimination made by students.
..... "Rutgers has reached a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil rights to continue to take steps to clarify, communicate, and review its policies and procedures related to discrimination and harassment, especially around national origin and shared ancestry," university spokesperson Dory Develin said ht a statement.
..... "The Rutger community stand firmly against discrimination and harassment in all its forms, and the university will allays strive to strengthen the policies and practices that protect our students, faculty, and staff," Devlin said. "Rutgers is grateful to the Office of Civil Rights for its guidance."
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The Office for Civil Rights reviewed more than 400 reports alleging discrimination between July 2023 and June 2024. Of those, 292 reports alleged discrimination and/or Israeli shared Jewish ancestry, and 147 national origin and ancestry, and 147 reports alleged discrimination, including harassment, against students on the basis of shared Palestinian, Arab, South Asian and/or Muslim ancestry.
..... Complaints included a social media post encouraging violence against on Israeli student and reported threats against members of a Jewish fraternity. They also included vandalism at the university's Cent4er for Islamic Life and removal of a Palestinian memorial and flyers around the law school.
..... Other students reported doxxing based on their ethnicity or national origin. The evidence in the federal investigation "so far reflects that the university likely operated a hostile environment based on national origin/shared ancestry in university programs or activities without redress as required under Title VI." officials said in a statement.
..... Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and actives receiving federal financial assistance. The university "appears to have failed to respond promptly and effectively to reports of alleged harassment and possible hostile environments for students based on their national origins," federal officials said.
Reporting, training, action plan
..... As part of the resolution, Rutgers agreed to review discrimination complaints to determine if further action is needed and to review disciplinary action taken against students and student groups to redress different treatment if needed.
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They also agreed to provide training to employees, students, campus police and staff responsible for investigating complaints.
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Rutgers also committed to review its nondiscrimination polices and investigatory procedures.
..... The university will conduct a campus climate assessment and hold listener sessions and create an action plan based on the results.
..... Rutgers was one of many universities and colleges rolled by protests and encampments in the last academic year over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Israel-Hamas war.
..... During that time, the Department of Education saw a spike in complaints over alleged discrimination against students of Israeli or Palestinian descent, including at Princeton and Drew universities and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
..... "OCR looks froward to the change that will come for Rutgers University as a result of this agreement and to ongoing work with the university to ensure its compliance," said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. Rutgers must report back to the Office of Civil Rights to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement.
..... The resolution letter and agreement are available on the Office for Civil Rights website.