AUG 29, 2024 | NEWS | By Seth Jahraus
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story. The Catalyst plans to update our reporting.
The National Jewish Advocacy Group has asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate a complaint against Colorado College, it claims, on behalf of Jewish students. The complaint, which was filed with the Department of Education on Friday, Aug. 23, two days before classes began, accuses the college of failing to combat what it calls an antisemitic campus climate that the college has “permitted to fester.”
Last year, outrage from pro-Israel and pro-Palestine supporters regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas war pervaded college campuses across the United States. Mass protests, encampments and occupations led by college organizations from coast to coast dominated national media attention for several weeks.
Colorado College students and campus pro-Palestine groups hosted demonstrations and protests throughout the spring semester. Students held a multi-hour occupation of the campus’s library on March 3 and attended a class walkout alongside faculty members on May 1.
The complaint alleges that the protest events perpetuated a hostile environment punctuated by chants it deems antisemitic, such as: “There is only one solution – Intifada revolution” and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.” The Catalyst has not documented that on-campus protests used the first chant but has reported on the use of the latter.
“Colorado College had ample notice of the above incidents, and yet it refused to
prevent, police, or investigate them,” the complaint states.
The National Jewish Advocacy Center, alongside Virginia-based law firm Holtzman Vogel, is issuing the complaint on behalf of Jewish undergraduate students at CC. The NJAC’s website says its mission is to “[use] our legal system to fight back against the rising tide of anti-Semitism, including engaging lawmakers at the local, state, and federal levels, and assisting with legal representation when needed.”
In a press release published by Holtzman Vogel, CEO and founder of the NJAC Mark Goldfeder said that schools that take federal funding have an affirmative obligation to maintain a discrimination-free environment.
The complaint alleges violations of Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act, which according to the Department of Justice “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.”
Those who filed the complaint state that the college’s inability to curb what they argue was an antisemitic atmosphere perpetuated by the protests calls for an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. This is not the first investigation request submitted by the NJAC, which has submitted a similar complaint against an Atlanta public school district earlier this month.
Individuals and Jewish advocacy groups have been issuing complaints against college campuses for what they say is an inability to uphold Title VI concerning antisemitism since the Oct. 7 attack, which catalyzed the ongoing war. The Department of Education has conducted over 150 investigations into different campuses and public school districts since.
Some schools, such as Brown University, have recently reached agreements with the Department of Education after the federal organization processed a complaint made in December by the editor-in-chief of the news site, Campus Reform, which considers itself a “conservative watchdog” for higher education.
In the complaint against CC, the NJAC has requested that the Office of Civil Rights provide mediation between themselves and Colorado College. The school can avoid an investigation from the office if it accepts a mediation request and allows the Department of Education to act as a third party in the negotiations between the NJAC and the college. However, if CC denies the mediation request, the office will begin to evaluate the complaint for a potential investigation, according to their website.
In a statement issued to local media, Colorado College said it would not comment on pending legal matters and specific allegations.
“We do, however, want to reiterate in the strongest possible terms that we condemn antisemitism and all forms of discrimination and harassment,” the college stated.
Moving forward, if the Office of Civil Rights elects to conduct an investigation, it will notify CC and the NJAC, according to the office’s website.
Then, the office could begin evidence collection, which could include “reviewing documentary evidence submitted by both parties” and “interviews of the complainant, recipient’s personnel, and other witnesses,” according to the Office of Civil Rights’ complaint processing procedures manual. At least one student and several faculty were referenced by name in the complaint.
The complaint also relies on what those who filed it say are screenshots of texts from Jewish students to parents during protests. The screenshots illustrate students’ distress.
KKTV 11 News misreported the situation, stating that Colorado College students were “suing” the school in their headline.
News of the complaint against CC has spread slowly across the campus population. The Catalyst is unaware of any organized student response to the complaint.