U.S. Department of Education opens investigation into Ohio State based on discrimination of “shared Jewish ancestry”

Josie Stewart, Meghan Beery, Nicole Nowicki
Tue, 23 Jan 2024 19:51:56 +0000
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The U.S. Department of Education Office opened an investigation into the university based on discrimination of “shared Jewish ancestry” Jan. 16. ?Credit: Lantern File Photo

An Ohio State parent submitted a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights alleging the university failed to respond to “incidents of harassment” based on “shared Jewish ancestry” in the fall semester.

The agency, which enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, opened an investigation against the university on Jan. 16, according to an email obtained by The Lantern. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin by universities that receive federal funding.

The office has not yet made a decision on the complaint, meaning no wrongdoing has been found thus far. The agency will “collect and analyze the evidence” necessary to make a decision, according to a letter by the agency.

University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email that Ohio State is aware of the investigation.?

“Ohio State has never – and will never – tolerate discrimination or harassment of anyone based on their religious beliefs, nationality or identity,” Johnson said.?

The complaint may be resolved before the conclusion of an investigation if the university and OCR come to a resolution agreement.

Several incidents occurred on and off campus last semester, including a hate crime on Oct. 18, 2023, where a student who was on the Oval attempting to buy an “I stand with Israel” bracelet was spat on by a male student, according to the Columbus Police report.

The victim chose not to press charges and instead wanted to bring the incident to the university’s attention, according to the report.?

On Nov. 6, then-acting university President Peter Mohler condemned the incident in a statement, saying the incident was “absolutely unacceptable” and is not tolerated on campus.

On Nov. 9, 2023, two females were let into Ohio State’s Hillel Jewish student center by the front desk and started picking up Israeli flags, yelling “f*ck you,” “you support genocide” and “free Palestine,” according to a Columbus Police report.?

At approximately 1:30 a.m. Nov. 10, 2023, two male suspects approached two students near 1840 N. High St. and yelled derogatory terms at the students, assaulting them while asking if they were Jewish, according to an Ohio State public safety notice. One victim was treated at the Wexner Medical Center before being released.

On Dec. 5, 2023, two students in the Alpha Epsilon Pi house, a Jewish fraternity currently unrecognized by the university, reported two people throwing bottles at the house while yelling “Jewish bastards,” according to a Columbus Police report.?

Mohler condemned the Nov. 9 and 10 incidents in another statement.

“I want to be direct and clear – the university has no tolerance for acts of hatred or violence,” Mohler said. “Antisemitism is despicable and has no place in our community. The university will pursue all action possible against anyone committing crimes on or near our campus.”

Based on posts to a “Jewish Ohio State Parents” Facebook group, the parent, Susan Henner, has been considering filing the complaint since Nov. 22, 2023, due to the university’s “lack of support for the Jewish students” and “the actual allowance of their faculty to use OSU resources and one-sided teaching on campus to incite and create an unsafe environment for our Jewish students,” Henner said.

At least 50 investigations have been opened under Title VI for “shared ancestry” incidents on college campuses since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023, according to OCR’s website. It is unclear whether all of these are related to discrimination against Jewish students.