On the list of 60 higher education institutions getting a warning letter for obligations unfilled under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students is the University of North Carolina.
The U.S. Department of Education, in a release Monday, said it was disappointed students are still in fear.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said, “The department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better.”
At the Chapel Hill campus, the nation’s oldest public university, the famed Polk Place quad captured the nation’s attention in April of last year in the ongoing protests about the war between Hamas and Israel. An American flag was brought down – the group Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of North Carolina took responsibility – and a flag for Palestine raised in its place, only to be replaced quickly by fraternity brothers and the then-interim chancellor.
Classrooms were violated by trespassers. Some people ended up bound with zip ties and others were held in an area under control of lawmen.
It was the second of two protests in eight days.
The actions involving the flag drew the praise of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and led to a joint session of Congress rising for a standing ovation and chanting, “USA! USA! USA!” The frat brothers also accepted a guest spot at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis.
“U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers,” McMahon said. “That support is a privilege, and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”
Carolina was the only school in the Carolinas to get a letter, according to the release.
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act “prohibits any institution that receives federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color and national origin. National origin includes shared (Jewish) ancestry,” a release says.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on additional measures to combat antisemitism. Five universities were immediately investigated; the 55 additional, of which Carolina is one, were because of complaints filed with the Office of Civil Rights.
