NEGATIVE FINDINGS THREE COLLEGES FACE RECENT TITLE VI COMPAINTS ALLEGING ANTISEMITISM: CUNY, USC, NYU Title VI, from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives Federal funds or other Federal financial assistance.” SCHOOL: City University of New York (CUNY) Brooklyn College Title VI Complaint: In February 2022, a complaint filed by Jewish students alleged they were victims of antisemitism on campus, claiming that the school showed no efforts to act on the matter. As a result of this filing, the Department of Educationʼs Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched an investigation into the school for a potential Title VI violation, citing the studentsʼ complaints of pervasive antisemitism from both peers and faculty. The complaint alleged how some professors spouted antisemitic tropes and made spiteful comments towards Jews – relating to Jewish power and how Jews fall under the umbrella of “white privilege.” In an incident where students were asked to rank their cultural identities, a Jewish student ranked their Jewish identity higher than their white background. The professor scolded the student, commenting that their Jewish identity made them part of a dominant culture that isnʼt oppressed. Additionally, a student stated her eagerness to strangle a Jewish student in a WhatsApp group chat, with other students supporting her. In an attempt by Jewish students to address the situation with college administrators to get involved and establish policies against this form of harassment, other students objected and designated Jews as racist oppressors. SCHOOL: City University of New York (CUNY) Title VI Complaint: In July 2022, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a Title VI complaint to the OCR against CUNY regarding a series of consistent antisemitic incidences on its campuses. Antisemitic activity such as the distribution of hate-filled flyers targeting Jews – some of which included swastikas and attacked “Zionists” – have been commonplace at the Universityʼs campuses in recent years. Despite this, CUNY has not taken any action or shown any intention of resolving the matter of what the ACLJ calls “pervasive antisemitic discrimination.” These hate-fueled incidents resulted in retracted funding of $50,000 from the New York City Council that had been set aside for the school. A hearing on the matter was set for June 8 but had to be postponed when CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez cited a scheduling conflict and couldnʼt attend. 10