Feds threaten funding cuts to Northwestern if Jewish students aren’t protected
EVANSTON, Ill. - The new U.S. Secretary of Education threatened to take away federal funding to Northwestern University and dozens of other schools if they didn’t do enough to protect Jewish students on their campuses.
The threats in letters sent to 60 colleges and universities around the country on Monday come as the Department of Education is investigating Northwestern and several other schools over their handling of incidents of alleged antisemitism.
Education Dept. ‘deeply disappointed’
What we know:
Sec. Linda McMahon warned the schools in the letters of "potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus."
The Department of Education also sent a letter to Illinois Wesleyan University in downstate Bloomington with the same threat.
The backstory:
The letters were the latest in a series of actions the Trump Justice Department has taken to address antisemitism on college campuses, especially after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The agency claimed there has been "widespread antisemitic harassment" reported at Northwestern and other institutions.
On top of the investigation into Northwestern, the Trump administration also announced that a federal task force would visit the school to speak with leadership, students, staff, and local law enforcement about antisemitism on campus.
The threat also follows the Trump administration’s announcement of the cancelation of $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University in New York due to the school’s "continued inaction to protect Jewish students from discrimination."
What they're saying:
Following the letter, Northwestern released a statement on Tuesday.
"Northwestern has received notice of the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights investigation, and we are fully cooperating with federal investigators as we have with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce over the past year.
"There is no place for antisemitism or any form of identity-based discrimination or hate at Northwestern University. Free expression and academic freedom are among our core values, but we have made clear that these values provide no excuse for behavior that threatens the well-being of others.
"We are confident in the actions we have taken to address antisemitism on our campus, including updating our Student Code of Conduct, our disciplinary procedures and making investments in public safety. We continue to work tirelessly to make our university a safe and non-discriminatory educational institution."
McMahon said in a statement, "The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better. U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws."