You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights resolved its investigation into Temple University, finding that the Philadelphia institution was not fully complying with federal law when responding to allegations of harassment based on shared ancestry.
The announcement comes nearly 12 months after a complaint was filed by the editor in chief of Campus Reform, a self-described “conservative watchdog to the nation’s higher education system,” accusing the university of discriminating against Jewish students by failing to respond to incidents of harassment during the 2023–24 academic year.
As part of its investigation, the Office for Civil Rights reviewed how Temple responded to 50 reports of shared ancestry discrimination and harassment, including incidents of antisemitic, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian conduct. The reports were filed in the 2022–23 and 2023–24 academic years and included “incidents at on-campus protests, vandalism and graffiti, and posts on social media,” according to the department’s news release.
While Temple took “proactive and responsive steps to address instances of harassment,” OCR investigators said the university’s response fell short of its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That section of federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin—and covers discrimination based on shared ancestry, which includes antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Specifically, OCR said that Temple failed to assess whether the reported incidents created a hostile environment for university students, faculty and staff, a shortcoming identified in other Title VI investigations resolved this year. Temple has since incorporated the hostile environment standard into its response to reports of shared ancestry harassment.
Under the resolution agreement, the university agreed to review previous complaints and develop an annual campus climate survey to ensure a holistic, welcoming environment is maintained for all students, faculty and staff.
