Union College under investigation by U.S. Education Department on claims of antisemitism

SCHENECTADY, NY — Union College is one of dozens of educational institutions under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for alleged discrimination of student's rights.

An unnamed complainant alleges the college failed to respond to harassment incidents in October and November of this year targeting Jewish students.

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The investigation is under Title VI which prohibits race, color, or national origin discrimination, including harassment based on a person’s ethnic characteristics.

Cornell and Harvard universities, the Cobb County School District in Georgia, the New York City Department of Education, and SUNY New Paltz are also on the list.

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Read the college’s full statement below:

"Union College is aware of the decision by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to initiate an investigation into a claim of discrimination toward Jewish students. Specifically, the unnamed complainant alleges that Union College failed to respond appropriately to incidents of harassment in October and November 2023. The OCR notification letter states explicitly that “opening an investigation does not mean that OCR has made a decision about the allegation”.

We will cooperate fully with OCR in this matter. We remain confident that our response to the very small number of reported incidents has been consistent with published policies and procedures, and with how we have responded to reports of alleged bias on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion and other protected statuses.

As President David Harris has shared with the campus community on multiple occasions during his tenure – and as recently as last month - the College stands against hate in all forms, including antisemitism. The College has seen no violence, or threats of violence, on campus since the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas on Israel

We have redoubled our efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of all our students, faculty and staff since Oct. 7, and are committed to further action when our students return to campus in January."