U.S. Education Dept Investigates Anti-Semitism at Cal Poly Humboldt

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has launched an investigation into Cal Poly Humboldt following a complaint by The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish on Campus, alleging the university allowed an environment of verbal and physical harassment against Jewish students. The complaint details numerous incidents, including attacks, vandalism with anti-Semitic slurs, and chants glorifying Hamas, while the university administration reportedly advised Jewish students to conceal their identity rather than address the harassment. Kenneth Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center and former assistant U.S. secretary of education, criticized Cal Poly for neglecting to act against these acts and emphasized that indifference to bigotry will not be tolerated. Jewish students have reported fear for their safety, exclusion from campus life, and some have left the campus as a result. This investigation is part of broader federal scrutiny into anti-Semitism at universities, following similar actions at other institutions, as the Department of Education intensifies its enforcement under civil rights laws. Additionally, the Justice Department’s antisemitism task force under the Trump administration has signaled plans to expand legal actions against universities across the country, including the University of California system.