The University of Illinois has agreed to a settlement of a federal civil rights complaint alleging more than 130 incidents of antisemitism and anti-Muslim discrimination on campus.
AP
After more than 130 incidents of antisemitism and anti-Muslim discrimination at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2015 to December 2023, the school announced Wednesday it will comply with federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination based on national origin, including Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian or Arab ancestry.
The announcement comes on the heels of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights into discrimination complaints that occurred at the state’s flagship university. Among them: swastikas appearing on campus, mezuzas ripped off students’ doors, and a brick thrown through the window of a Jewish fraternity.
Of the 139 incidents of shared ancestry discrimination reported from 2015 through December 2023, 135 related to anti-Jewish discrimination and four related to anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian or anti-Arab discrimination.
In one instance, a Jewish student reported being attacked by another student who ripped off the victim’s necklace. The attacker reportedly told the student “I wish my ancestors finished the job on you.” On another occasion, a student threw a rock at the Hillel Center. Hillel is a Jewish campus organization.
Other incidents included a university employee sending messages on social media that read: “I won’t tolerate Islam” and a pro-Palestinian student protester who reported being struck multiple times by a counter-protesting employee.
The federal investigation noted university programs responsible for addressing harassment complaints “lacked coordination and inconsistently applied university policies and procedures.”
The university agreed to revise its nondiscrimination polices and procedures, amend its protest and demonstration policy to ensure law enforcement responds equitably, and to conduct annual anti-discrimination training.
“We are deeply committed to implementing the mutual understandings we are announcing today and to working together to provide a safe and supportive educational environment for our entire Jewish student community and for all students at Illinois,” Chancellor Robert Jones said in a prepared statement.
Behavior in violation of the school’s anti-discrimination policies includes: verbal abuse or the use of antisemitic slurs or stereotypes; blaming students for the actions of individuals with a shared identity or a nation associated with student; hostile or derogatory messages delivered via the telephone or social media; physical assault, intimidation or stalking; and social media statements calling for the destruction of a protected classification.