UC Santa Barbara Agrees to Strengthen Civil Rights Protections for Jewish Students

Here’s an important new success story:  The University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) has pledged to implement recommendations from the Brandeis Center, and in return the Center has agreed to withdraw its U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Title VI complaint asserting that the university had created a hostile environment for Jewish students.

The Brandeis Center has been impressed with UCSB’s responsiveness to its concerns over the course of the last several months.  “We are pleased with the university’s response, and look forward to see it implemented so that all students – regardless of religious or ethnic identity – are protected from civil rights violations on campus,” LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus has said.

The university, represented by University of California Chancellor Henry Yang, committed to several specific steps, based on LDB recommendations: Hosting on-campus educational programming conducted by the Anti-Defamation League on anti-Semitic hate and bias; and adopting a neutral observer program for on-campus events, especially those that could stoke intense debate and conflict. UCSB also issued formal statements that explicitly condemned anti-Semitism on campus and restated the school’s commitment to mutual respect, civility, tolerance, and decency.

In a formal statement issued this morning, Marcus said the resolution of the complaint was welcome, as LDB prefers to work with universities to avoid future incidents. “We were quite concerned with prior incidents at UCSB and the initial reactions of university staff with regard to the safety and welfare of Jewish students. However, after working with UCSB to address these infractions, we feel that the school is taking the necessary steps to provide a campus life that is safe and welcoming for not just Jewish students, but all students,” said Marcus.

 

Marcus emphasized his favorable impression of Chancellor Yang and his senior staff.  “I would like to thank and commend Chancellor Yang and UCSB’s Counsel Nancy Hamill for their diligent attention to this issue,” he added. “We hope that this serves as a model for other universities facing similar challenges.”

In addition, Marcus commended those UCSB students who have been courageous enough to speak out against anti-Semitism on their campus.  “It is not always easy for undergraduate students to take a stand against campus anti-Semitism, and we have enormous respect for those who do.  Without their courage, we would not be able to carry on our fight against anti-Semitism and bigotry.”

 

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in federally funded programs, including public universities, on the basis of race, color or national origin. In its November 2013 filing with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, LDB had cited several recent examples of blatant anti-Semitic behavior on the UCSB campus, and complained about the lack of response from university officials.