Education

6 Mass. colleges received letters from Ed. Dept. about alleged antisemitism on campuses

Federal officials say a total of 60 universities have been warned they could face “potential enforcement actions” over allegations of campus antisemitism.

People take photos near a John Harvard statue, left, on the Harvard University campus. Harvard was one of six Massachusetts universities to receive a letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights regarding its handling of allegations of campus antisemitism. AP Photo/Steven Senne, File

By Abby Patkin

March 12, 2025

2 minutes to read

Six Massachusetts schools were put on notice Monday as the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights warned 60 colleges and universities of “potential enforcement actions” should they fail to protect Jewish students on campus.

Boston University, Emerson College, Harvard University, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Wellesley College all received letters warning of consequences “if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act” to protect Jewish students, “including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities,” the Department of Education said in a press release.

Three other New England schools also made the list: Brown University, Middlebury College, and Yale University.

The letters were addressed to all U.S. universities currently under investigation for alleged Title VI violations regarding antisemitic harassment and discrimination, according to the release. Title VI bars federally funded institutions from discriminating on the basis of race, color, and national origin, including shared ancestries or ethnic characteristics.

“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,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.

In Massachusetts and throughout the U.S., college campuses have become a political battleground amid ongoing controversy over Israel’s war in Gaza, which erupted with a surprise attack from Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups on Oct. 7, 2023. Several universities have since faced heightened scrutiny for their handling of student protests and allegations of campus antisemitism.

The Department of Education said it initially launched investigations into five universities “where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported” as part of its response to President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.” Federal officials also pulled $400 million of funding from Columbia University last week over the school’s “continued inaction to protect Jewish students from discrimination,” the department said.

“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.”

The Trump Administration’s crackdown has sounded alarms at some local universities, with Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently implementing hiring freezes amid the upheaval. Harvard’s leaders have said the austerity measures come as a result of “substantial financial uncertainties driven by rapidly shifting federal policies.”

MIT President Sally Kornbluth offered a similar message in her own statement, writing, “as federal actions continue to unfold, MIT is facing an evolving set of pressures.”

“Many departments are reducing the number of graduate students they’re admitting this year; for an institution grounded in research and education, having to turn away superb young talent is a striking loss,” Kornbluth added, emphasizing the university’s value in the face of federal threats. “And it’s clearly a loss for the nation too.”