The Department of Education should establish a uniform reporting system for antisemitism under Title VI for colleges and universities receiving federal funding, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) said in a letter she signed Tuesday on Capitol Hill in Washington with representatives from Olami, a Jewish organization for college students and young professionals.
“We strongly urge the Department of Education, pursuant to its statutory authority under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to issue a rule to implement a uniform reporting system of all instances of antisemitic bias and discrimination at all colleges and universities that receive federal funding,” the letter said.
The Department of Education should terminate federal assistance to any college or university that fails to comply with the proposed reporting requirements, it added.
“These reporting requirements would supplement, not replace, existing reporting systems within the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights – and ensure postsecondary educational institutions document and take seriously [any] instance of antisemitic bias and discrimination,” the letter said.
Olami Managing Director Rabbi David Markowitz told The Jerusalem Post he and other staff members keep hearing students talk about feeling helpless on their college campuses in the wake of October 7.
No accountability for antisemitism, Olami director charges
He recalled telling students about different places they could report incidents of antisemitism, but the students kept saying, “They don’t do anything.”
“And we were bothered,” Markowtiz said. “What do you mean, they don’t do anything? How could it be that they don’t do anything?”
Shabbos Kastenbaum, a graduate student at Harvard’s Divinity School, testified about campus antisemitism earlier this month in a hearing on Capitol Hill and said he had submitted more than 40 complaints to the university’s newly established Antisemitism Task Force but did not receive a response.
Harvard and other universities refuse to meaningfully engage or respond to reports of antisemitism, Kastenbaum said, adding that he would certainly support a national reporting system if it could help mediate this failure.
Markowitz said: “So, what exactly is the value of the antisemitism task force if they simply don’t respond? So, when we started looking into it from a legal perspective, [asking] doesn’t the university have some sort of accountability about responding to complaints from students? As it turns out, not really.”
If a student submits a complaint to a university, there is no oversight, transparency, or accountability for the university to report that complaint to the Office of Civil Rights, he said. The best that happens is a “Dear Colleague” letter from the Department of Education, such as the one issued on November 7, which reminded universities of their legal obligations under Title VI, he added.“To which we said, ‘Well, why do you need to remind them to keep the law?’” Markowtiz said. “Why isn’t it just set up right so that anytime a student issues a complaint to the university, they simply have to share the information that there was a complaint received, and that they responsibly dealt with it?”
He also called for universities to respond to complaints within a reasonable time frame.
By extension, Markowitz said it was the Department of Education’s responsibility to ensure that students receive a response from their universities that is in line with Title VI.
“What we’re trying to do is make sure that there’s no situation where a student goes to school, and they feel they’re not going to be heard,” he said. “We’re hearing from students all across the country that they stopped reporting. They don’t even bother because they know that nobody is going to respond. And that learned helplessness is the scariest place to be.”
Markowitz and 25 students with Olami are spending several days in Washington meeting with dozens of lawmakers and representatives of the Department of Education. Several students spoke at Tuesday’s press conference with Mace and shared their experiences of antisemitism on campus.
The surge in antisemitism demands immediate action from institutions of higher learning, Mace said in a statement sent to the Post.
“Their failure to meet their obligations to students and disregard for our guidance is unacceptable,” she said. “We demand decisive steps from these institutions to combat antisemitism and Jewish hate, rather than mere lip service. The Zero Tolerance National Reporting System empowers Jewish students with a vital voice and safety net. It’s time for higher education to prioritize real change and ensure a zero-tolerance policy against antisemitism.”
The Post has reached out to the Department of Education for comment.