DAVIS, CA – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has placed UC Davis under federal investigation for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, citing concerns over antisemitic discrimination and harassment on campus.
The university is among 60 institutions nationwide that received formal warnings from OCR on March 10, 2025, instructing them to ensure Jewish students have equal access to education and campus facilities or face potential enforcement actions.
The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) responded with a statement affirming its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting students’ rights. However, UC Davis declined to comment further, referring the Davis Vanguard to the UCOP statement.
UC Statement: “Unwavering Commitment” to Student Protection
Following the Department of Education’s announcement, UCOP issued a statement addressing the federal warnings sent to multiple UC campuses, including UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara:
“We are aware that a few campuses of the University of California system received letters from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reminding them of their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students. We want to be clear: the University of California is unwavering in its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting the civil rights of all our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.”
The statement continued, “We continue to take specific steps to foster an environment free of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and harassment for everyone in the university community.” The statement did not provide details on specific allegations against UC Davis or any corrective actions being taken.
The federal warning follows months of growing scrutiny over antisemitism on college campuses and a push from the Trump administration to hold universities accountable. OCR’s letter emphasized that institutions receiving federal funding must protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment or risk losing that funding.
“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,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in the March 10 press release.
“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.”
The Department of Education has warned that noncompliance could lead to penalties, including:
• Loss of federal funding, including research grants and student aid.
• Federal enforcement actions requiring mandatory policy reforms.
• Potential civil rights lawsuits if violations persist.
The Department of Education recently canceled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, citing failures to protect Jewish students from harassment. OCR has suggested that other universities could face similar consequences if they do not take corrective action.
The federal investigation at UC Davis comes amid heightened national debates over free speech, campus activism, and discrimination. Over the past year, universities have faced increasing pressure to address incidents of antisemitism, particularly in the wake of global conflicts that have sparked heated campus protests.
While OCR did not publicly detail the specific complaints against UC Davis, the federal warning signals that the university is now under heightened scrutiny, and its response—or lack thereof—will likely shape future enforcement actions.
For now, UC Davis remains under investigation, with questions lingering about how the university will address the allegations and what consequences, if any, it may face in the coming months.
Pretty much the same reaction I have to ‘criminalizing homelessness’ or today ‘criminalizing poverty’. What I want to see criminalized is crime.
Criticism of Israel is free speech. Many Jews do it, even those who are not self-declared anti-Zionists. The encampment from my perspective was for the most part not crossing a line. I have heard some claim that their way was blocked. While technically true, no buildings were blocked and you could walk around the encampment. Unless you really wanted to get to Centennial Circle for some reason. Pro-Israel signs and pictures of the hostages outside remained intact outside the encampment.
I am against masks. That is pushing the idea of protest. If you believe in something, show your face and face the consequences of your actions. That shows courage of conviction. I know people say they are being targeted — but babe — believe me — THEY already know who you are, all of you. Yes, it gets squishy when people claim they are immuno-compromised and Covid-19 is the perfect cover for face cover. But I’m not buying that excuse outdoors. No one should face a crowd of face-coverers.
I know there are real Jew haters in this town, on campus and off campus. I am reminded of the student I saw several years ago on 5th Street holding up a sign “Stop Worshipping Satan and Glorifying Hitler You Jews” and “Remove the Dish [Yarmulke] You Jews”. She’s real. I have a photo. I stopped and talked to her for about 20 minutes. She said she was a member of the mosque and the Muslim Student Union on campus. Not by *any* stretch my experience with Muslim persons generally — just saying this exists in Davis.
A big part of antisemitism that is far too ignored is the double-standard. Take the statements, “Stop Worshipping Satan and Glorifying Hitler You Jews” and “Remove the Dish [Yarmulke] You Jews”. Now take your favorite minority — black people, Mexican people, Asian people, indigenous people — and substitute in the name. Now take similar statements – worshipping someone who killed masses of your people, and add a religious sacred dress and demand it’s removal. Got those in place in your mind? Now, wouldn’t those have made national news siting Davis as a racist place? But somehow this woman, standing on 5th Street for hours, flies under the press radar. The Jewish People with October 7th have smacked right into the ugliest and most racist aspects of identity politics and the oppressor/oppressed binary paradigm. Dehumanization goes both ways. Envy Politics allows the categorization of a people and the dehumanization of all within that group by those who think in terms of identity politics and the oppressor/oppressed binary paradigm.
As I said in an article a couple of days ago: Free speech is fine. Criticizing Israel is fine. Open support of Hamas or calling for the death of Jews or America, or taking over buildings and harming employees, blocking and intimidating Jewish students and faculty . . . not so much.
No to criminalizing free speech, NO to criminalizing even hate speech, which, such as what that woman on 5th had out, is obnoxious, but not illegal (and let’s us know what is going on in people’s hearts – and that’s better in the open than hidden) and protected by the constitution and the supreme court. But some of those actions listed above cross the line and are criminal, and I am for criminalizing crime.
And again, ask why the double-standard for Jews when it comes to hate speech directed at Jews. Why so tolerated by you, by us, even by us Jews?