Columbia University violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by "acting with deliberate indifference towards student-on-student harassment of Jewish students," the Trump administration's Health and Human Services Department (HHS)'s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on Thursday.
"OCR’s Notice of Violation articulates extensive factual findings that span a period of over 19 months in which the University continually failed to protect Jewish students," since October 7, 2023, the announcement adds.
OCR announced that Columbia University violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by acting with deliberate indifference toward student-on-student harassment of Jewish students. https://t.co/R1m9VTeioM
— HHS Civil Rights (@HHSOCR) May 23, 2025
Columbia failed at establishing effective reporting and remediation mechanisms for antisemitism, including not abiding by its policies when responding to Jewish students' complaints, not investigating or punishing vandalism, including drawing swastikas in classrooms, and not enforcing restrictions on pro-Palestinian protests campus-wide since October 7, OCR found.
In order to reach their findings, OCR conducted an investigation which included witness interviews, examining Columbia's policies and procedures, reliable media reports that "contemporaneously capture antisemitic incidents and events at Columbia University," and reports from Columbia's antisemitism task force.
"The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being. We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students," OCR Acting Director Anthony Archeval stated.
"We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government. Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus," a Columbia University spokesperson was cited as saying by The New York Times.
Part of a broader effort to combat antisemitism
The announcement comes as "part of a broader effort" by the Trump administration's multi-agency Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, OCR added.
In a January 2025 Executive Order, Trump wrote that his purpose in signing it was to reaffirm a December 2019 Executive Order, which had been "effectively nullified" by the Biden administration, directing "additional measures to advance the policy thereof in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, against the people of Israel."
"These attacks unleashed an unprecedented wave of vile antisemitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence against our citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses," Trump's order argued.
"Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault," he added.
The Education Department's OCR jointly signed the Notice of Violation, HHS clarified.