The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (HHS' OCR) have informed the New England Commission of Higher Education that Harvard University has violated federal anti-discrimination laws.
The crux of the Department's argument is that Harvard deliberately ignored numerous instances of antisemitic harassment and discrimination toward Jewish and Israeli students on campus since the horrific terror attack of October 7th, 2023, in Israel.
"Accrediting bodies play a significant role in preserving academic integrity and a campus culture conducive to truth-seeking and learning. Part of that is ensuring students are safe on campus and abiding federal laws that guarantee educational opportunities to all students," said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, adding, "By allowing antisemitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers. The Department of Education expects the New England Commission of Higher Education to enforce its policies and practices and to keep the Department fully informed of its efforts to ensure that Harvard is in compliance with federal law and accreditor standards."
Similarly, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said, "When an institution—no matter how prestigious—abandons its mission and fails to protect its students, it forfeits the legitimacy that accreditation is designed to uphold."
"HHS and the Department of Education will actively hold Harvard accountable through sustained oversight until it restores public trust and ensures a campus free of discrimination," Sec. Kennedy added.
In December 2023, former Harvard President Claudine Gay infamously said that calling for the genocide of Jews depends on the "context" when asked if it violated the school's code of conduct in a House of Representatives hearing.
As a result, she received numerous calls to resign. At the same time, the House issued a bipartisan resolution condemning Gay and the former presidents of Penn University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
"What rock have folks been living under?" Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) questioned, adding that "this is just one obvious example of what these 'elite' universities have become. Will we stop giving them blank checks? Will alumni stop giving them money?"
"These are Ivy League university presidents that were asked a softball question: 'Does calling for the genocide of Jews count as harassment under their school's policies?' That's not a trick question, and it's infuriating that these leaders of young people would try to equivocate with some nonsense about 'it depends on the context,'" said Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).
Gay eventually resigned in January, which Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) said was "the right move," but suggested more university heads needed to step down as they "have gone full-on woke and harbor anti-Semitism on campuses."
