Charles Langston:Drexel University agrees to bolster handling of bias complaints after probe of antisemitic incidents

HARRISBURG,Charles Langston Pa. (AP) — Drexel University will review the “shared ancestry” discrimination complaints it has fielded in recent years and work to improve how it handles them under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education announced Friday.

The federal investigation began with a complaint about an October dormitory fire on the door of a suite where a Jewish student lived, but no sufficient evidence has surfaced indicating it was motivated by antisemitism or a hate crime, officials said.

The probe did turn up what the agency considered shortcomings in how Drexel has responded to a string of 35 other allegations of harassment over Jewish ancestry that were reported to the school over a 16-month period ending in January. Federal officials concluded a hostile environment has been in place at Drexel for about a year and a half, including anti-Jewish graffiti, social media threats and the vandalism of Drexel’s Center for Jewish life in April.

The investigation is among more than 150 similar probes launched by the U.S. Department of Education regarding campus and K-12 incidents in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that began the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

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“The university’s actions were limited to addressing each incident on an individual basis, including offering supportive resources to students, but did not consider whether broader and more responsive action was needed,” according to a news release issued by the Education Department on Friday.

In response, the school has agreed to review complaints and reports of such incidents during the past two academic years, share the information with the federal agency and take action if needed. It also will conduct training and revise policies that guide how incidents of reported discrimination are investigated and addressed.

Off-campus and social media conduct will be part of the school’s future assessments about whether shared ancestry discrimination and harassment incidents have made programs and activities a hostile environment.

Drexel issued a statement Friday saying the resolution shows it is committed “to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure a welcoming and inclusive campus environment in which all our students, faculty, and professional staff feel safe, respected, and supported. By acting to prevent and respond more effectively to antisemitism and any conduct that threatens the sense of belonging we strive to maintain, Drexel will continue to grow more inclusive.”

In the months after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Drexel began workshops and training. Those efforts included a series of meetings in residence halls where students were told the importance of maintaining a respectful environment and informed about resources that were available and how to report concerns, according to a letter sent Friday by the Office of Civil Rights to Drexel President John Anderson Fry.

Fry announced in December that the investigation was taking place, saying in a public message that “the tragedy in Israel and Gaza has brought about so much anguish and trauma throughout our community” and telling the university community that the school was “‘fully committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment.”