Anti-Defamation League files complaint against Ohio State, alleges “failure” in addressing antisemitism

Nicole Nowicki, Kate Shields
Wed, 10 Apr 2024 03:17:55 +0000
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StandWithUs, the Anti-Defamation League and Brandeis Center filed a complaint against Ohio State alleging “pervasive antisemitic climate for Jewish Students” with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Tuesday.?Credit: Lantern File Photo

Three Jewish advocacy groups filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Tuesday alleging a“pervasive antisemitic climate for Jewish Students.”

Filed under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on several protected traits at universities supported by federal funding, StandWithUs, the Anti-Defamation League and Brandeis Center alleged that Ohio State students experienced discrimination and harassment based on Jewish ethnicity, shared ancestry and Israeli national origin. The complaint also detailed a series of incidents that the organizations said “created a hostile environment at OSU for Jewish and Israeli students” and were not “adequately” addressed by the university.

The office has not yet made a decision on the complaint, meaning no wrongdoing has been found thus far. The agency will “collect and analyze the evidence” necessary to make a decision, according to a letter by the agency.

“Despite ample notice to the University, OSU has failed to remediate these issues adequately. OSU has contributed to a hostile climate for Jewish and Israeli students through inconsistent or deliberate inaction, refusal to enforce its own policies, dismissiveness toward Jewish students’ concerns, and at times unequal treatment of its Jewish and Israeli students as compared with other minority groups on campus,” the complaint stated.?

This is at least the second complaint first against Ohio State since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. An Ohio State parent filed a complaint Jan. 16, also alleging the university failed to respond to incidents of harassment based on “shared Jewish ancestry.”?

Several incidents occurred on and off campus last semester, including a hate crime on Oct. 18, 2023, where a student who was on the Oval attempting to buy an “I stand with Israel” bracelet was spat on by a male student, according to a Columbus Police report.

The victim chose not to press charges and instead wanted to bring the incident to the university’s attention, according to the report.?

On Nov. 6, then-acting university President Peter Mohler condemned the incident in a statement, saying the incident was “absolutely unacceptable” and not tolerated on campus.

On Nov. 9, 2023, two females were let into Ohio State’s Hillel Jewish student center by the front desk and started picking up Israeli flags, yelling “f*ck you,” “you support genocide” and “free Palestine,” according to a Columbus Police report.?

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Nov. 10, 2023, two male suspects approached two students near 1840 N. High St. and yelled derogatory terms at the students, assaulting them while asking if they were Jewish, according to an Ohio State public safety notice. One victim was treated at the Wexner Medical Center before being released.

On Dec. 5, 2023, two students in the Alpha Epsilon Pi house, a Jewish fraternity currently unrecognized by the university, reported two people throwing bottles at the house while yelling “Jewish bastards,” according to a Columbus Police report.?

Mohler condemned the Nov. 9 and 10 incidents in another statement.

“I want to be direct and clear – the university has no tolerance for acts of hatred or violence,” Mohler said. “Antisemitism is despicable and has no place in our community. The university will pursue all action possible against anyone committing crimes on or near our campus.”

The university’s response to the organizations said the complaint does not “accurately represent what has occurred at Ohio State or the university’s strong and ongoing response,” which included university leaders reaching out to students, faculty, staff, alumni and organizations that could be “potentially impacted” by antisemitism or the Oct. 7 attack staged by Hamas, the militant group that governs the Gaza Strip.?

The university said they enhanced security for Chabad and Hillel, two spaces for Jewish students, after meeting with leaders from both groups, reporting positive feedback.

Further, the university said action was taken to file public safety alerts to notify the Ohio State community and adhere to university policy and Ohio law.?

“Immediately in response to the above incidents, Acting President Mohler and other senior leaders at the university attended a community meeting co-hosted by Chabad and Hillel to listen to concerns and discuss the university’s support,” Ohio State’s response said. “The university has continually been in touch with leaders of these organizations to discuss long and short-term concerns, as well as assisted Hillel in conducting additional security assessments.”?

In the letter detailing the complaint, several incidents are listed that were allegedly filed with the Office of Institutional Equity, but received minimal to no response, such as the verbal harassment of Jewish students through the invocation of harmful Jewish stereotypes in classrooms or on campus, and an incident in which fraternity members allegedly threw pennies at Jewish students on Oct. 20, 2023.?

In response, university leaders said these incidents were not reported to the university, and encouraged StandWithUs to provide adequate information so the university could take appropriate action.?

“Known events, which were reported through university channels, have been and will continue to be addressed by Ohio State as well as law enforcement partners where appropriate,” the response said. “If you can share the names of those Ohio State students or employees who have shared these incidents with your organization, the university will promptly follow up with them and will follow our comprehensive response process.”?

The StandWithUs letter also lays out six “suggested remedies,” including taking the “necessary steps to ensure that the University community is able to understand and recognize the types of antisemitic discrimination that are confronting its Jewish students, including those that involve Jewish shared ancestry connected to Israel, and how contemporary antisemitism manifests.”?

To achieve this understanding, the letter suggested Ohio State incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism into campus policies and provide training on antisemitism to administrators, faculty, students and staff.