Middlebury College was one of 60 colleges and universities that received a letter from the Trump administration on Monday, March 10 informing the school that prior allegations of antisemitism on campus would be reinvestigated. The renewed scrutiny on the institution’s treatment of Jewish students comes after a Title VI investigation was opened over a year ago following a complaint filed with the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education.
The department threatened to carry out “potential enforcement actions if [universities] do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI,” citing the need to guarantee Jewish students equal access to campus buildings and educational opportunities, according to a press release from Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon last month.
The college stated it would take all possible measures to comply with the renewed inquiry.
“In March of this year, we were among 60 schools that received a follow-up letter saying the investigation would be revisited. We will continue to cooperate with OCR. We are committed to our educational mission, and that includes supporting all students with no tolerance for discriminatory behavior on our campuses,” a college spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Campus.
The most recent letter follows the original complaint, which was filed on Feb. 16, 2024 by the StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). This complaint claimed that Middlebury College violated its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a statute passed to foster an educational environment that is free from discrimination.
StandWithUs defines themselves as “an international, non-partisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism,” according to the organization’s website. Their complaint addressed claims of on-campus antisemitism at colleges across the country under Title VI.
“[Title VI] prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance,” the U.S. Department of Justice’s website states.
The letter from StandWithUs claimed that Middlebury College’s administration had cultivated an antisemitic atmosphere on campus. The letter’s claims have not been independently verified nor have they been validated by either Middlebury College or the Department of Education.
“Middlebury’s administration has failed to remediate these issues and, to the contrary, has contributed to this climate though its inaction, refusal to enforce its own policies, dismissiveness towards Jewish students’ concerns, and lack of equal treatment of its Jewish students as compared with other minority groups on campus,” the initial letter stated.
StandWithUs urged the targeted colleges and universities to maintain freedom of expression and to reject “baseless calls to investigate or punish international and immigrant communities for exercising their fundamental rights.”
Addressing incidents at Middlebury specifically, the complaint from StandWithUs presented a list of alleged evidence against the college’s administration, including assertions that administrators denied recognition to a second Jewish identity-based club Chabad that would have existed in addition to Middlebury Hillel.
“Just this month, on February 2nd, 2024, the ‘Student Organization Registration Committee’ (‘Committee’), which includes faculty liaisons, emailed the Jewish student applying for Chapped student organization recognition that their student club has been rejected yet again,” StandWithUs wrote. “We request that OCR investigate why Middlebury continuously rejects jewish students’ requests for recognition of an alternative Jewish student organization, Chabad, and treats those requests differently than requests from other groups for such recognition.”
In response to the proposed forming of Chabad, the college stated that their rejection of this secondary Jewish-student organization was due to funding issues, expressing their concern that the funding request for food replicates programming already funded and offered by Hillel for Shabad dinners.
The report also alleged that the college took “retaliatory disciplinary action” against a Jewish student who reported a resident advisor (RA) for posting the slogan “‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free,’” as reported by VTDigger. That claim could not be independently verified.
Furthermore, the original letter stated that Middlebury administrators requested that student organizers “universalize” a vigil following the October 7, 2023 attacks, urging them honor both Israeli and Palestinian lives while instructing them not to display Israeli flags or Jewish symbols at the event.
StandWithUs bases its claims against the college on the U.S. Department of State’s definition of antisemitism.
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities,” as stated on the Department’s website.
According to the college, Middlebury administrators have addressed both the original letter as well as the most recent reminder sent from the OCR; they acknowledge that the investigation is an ongoing process, yet are unable to speak openly due to legal restrictions.
