American University and George Mason University are among the schools to which the Department of Education sent letters Monday, warning of “potential enforcement actions” if the institutions don’t, as the department puts it, “protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities.”
Johns Hopkins University, which has a facility in DC in addition to its flagship campus in Baltimore, is also on the list, as is the University of Virginia. The department, which President Trump has pledged to dismantle, says it’s looking into 60 universities around the country.
Since Trump took office earlier this year, the administration has taken actions against universities it claims didn’t do enough during protests last year. The administration pulled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University, and it arrested and says it plans to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who helped to lead protests at the New York City university. The letter was sent by the department’s Office for Civil Rights, which contends the universities may not be fulfilling their obligations to protect students under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
George Mason is preparing a response to the department, its university vice president and chief brand officer, Paul Allvin, tells Washingtonian in a statement. The letter, Allvin says, “appears to reference a pre-existing complaint filed with the Department in late 2023, to which the university previously responded.” He continues:
George Mason University does not discriminate against anyone, and goes to extensive lengths to ensure all students can study, work, and live in a safe and welcoming academic environment. Of the four universities in the DC region that received this most recent letter, George Mason is the only university never to have experienced encampments, occupied buildings, students being blocked from accessing classes or other campus amenities, or other allegations included in the DOE letter.
In a statement, American University says the letter “outlines all universities’ responsibilities under Title VI but does not reference any specific actions against American University.” It continues:
While the university is not currently under formal investigation for antisemitic conduct in violation of Title VI, we are actively addressing concerns raised by our community. Our commitment to supporting our Jewish community and addressing antisemitism is ongoing and extensive. These efforts include updating university policies; taking disciplinary action for related conduct violations on campus; revising our curriculum in a required first year course to better address and educate about antisemitism; strongly opposing BDS resolutions on campus; and conducting training about antisemitism for university leaders. We are also current participants in Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative. We will continue this important work and comply with any communications or requests from OCR.
“Discrimination of any kind, including anti-Semitism, is at odds with our most fundamental values and against long established university policy,” a Hopkins spokesperson tells Washingtonian in a statement that continues:
We take all complaints of anti-Semitism or other forms of discrimination or harassment seriously and evaluate each one to take appropriate action in accordance with requirements set forth in the university’s policies and procedures.
We are rigorously complying with the terms of the resolution agreement we reached with the Department of Education earlier this year, which included training for all students and staff and a new review of previous complaints of anti-Semitism and anti-Arab bias. The terms of that agreement already included ongoing review by the Department of Education, and we will continue to support a safe and respectful campus environment for all members of our community.
The University of Virginia have not yet replied to requests for comment.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
