American University – Brandeis Center Title VI Complaint

Summary

On January 17, 2024, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish On Campus filed a Title VI complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against American University. The complaint alleged that Jewish and Israeli students had been assaulted, threatened, harassed, and intimidated in dormitories, classrooms, and other campus spaces, and that the university had failed to respond effectively. Specific incidents cited included swastikas on dormitory doors and bathrooms, an Israeli student being spat on, disruption of campus access during protests, posters of Israeli hostages being torn down, and harassment by peers and faculty. Some Jewish students who reported incidents said they were subjected to disciplinary proceedings or retaliation.

Witness statements described students being called Zionist pig or Zionist killer and being accused of responsibility for genocide, and reported that instructors displayed offensive materials or failed to address harassment. The complaint argued that these actions and inactions created a hostile educational environment in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many of the incidents occurred in the context of protests over the Israel Hamas conflict and the attacks on civilians in Gaza that began in October 2023, where some campus activism criticizing Israel was experienced by the complainants as targeting Jewish students.

On March 10, 2025, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into American University and nearly sixty other universities for antisemitic discrimination and harassment. The letters warned institutions that failure to protect Jewish students’ access to campus facilities and educational programs could result in enforcement actions. The investigation focused on harassment of Jewish students, including those expressing support for Israel, reflecting federal guidance that such harassment may constitute prohibited discrimination under Title VI even when it arises in the context of political debate or protest.

In February 2026, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held a public briefing on antisemitism on America’s college and university campuses as part of its bipartisan investigation of federal responses to civil rights violations under Title VI. Jewish community advocates and civil rights lawyers urged the commission to address anti‑Jewish hatred with the same vigor applied to other forms of discrimination and to scrutinize how universities and the federal government have handled complaints. Testimony at the briefing highlighted differing views among students about Zionism, campus political expression, academic freedom, and how antisemitism is defined and addressed, underscoring ongoing national attention to campus antisemitism and federal enforcement of civil rights protections.