Tacoma-area university being investigated for antisemitism as part of federal probe
Pacific Lutheran University is one of 60 higher-education institutions in the nation under investigation for alleged antisemitic discrimination and harassment, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The department announced Monday that its Office for Civil Rights had sent letters to five-dozen institutions, including the private Parkland-based university, to warn them of potential enforcement actions if they didn’t fulfill federal obligations to protect Jewish students on campus.
Those obligations, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, included enabling Jewish students to have uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities, according to a department news release. Letters were addressed to universities currently under investigation for Title VI violations related to antisemitic harassment and discrimination, the department said.
Last month, the department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched probes into Columbia University; Northwestern University; Portland State University; University of California, Berkley; and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Fifty-five other institutions, including Pacific Lutheran University, were “under investigation or monitoring in response to complaints filed with the OCR,” the department 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,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “University leaders must do better.”
Pacific Lutheran University spokesperson Chris Albert told The News Tribune on Tuesday that the school had received the letter and was reviewing it.
“We are aware of only one complaint to the Office of Civil Rights made by an individual in a virtual class about personal social media reposts by another individual,” Albert said in an email. “We have been working cooperatively with OCR on this matter for more than a year and are awaiting further guidance.”
Albert added that the university prioritized the care and well-being of its students, faculty and staff as it immediately conducted an internal review upon receiving the complaint. The university has fully complied with the OCR’s investigation, he said.
The investigations come as the Trump administration cracks down on alleged anti-Jewish prejudice in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas. About 1,200 people were killed in the assault and 250 abducted, while more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent military offensive, according to news reports.
President Donald Trump targeted antisemitism through an executive order in January, citing an increase in prejudice against Jewish people, particularly students, and calling for additional measures to combat it.
Last week, the Trump administration canceled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, which has been investigating students critical of Israel, over alleged antisemitism on its campus, the Associated Press reported. Trump’s push to cut federal funding from colleges for allowing what he has described as “illegal” protests has alarmed civil rights groups who view his threats as an assault on free speech and assembly, according to Reuters.
On Saturday, a Columbia University student who helped organize protests was arrested by federal immigration authorities, but his deportation was blocked on Monday by a federal judge, multiple news outlets reported.
Neither Pacific Lutheran University nor the Education Department responded to The News Tribune’s request for a copy of the letter sent to the university.
University of Washington-Seattle, Eastern Washington University and Whitman College were among the other schools in Washington state that received letters from the department.
