The Brandeis Center today applauded the announcement by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to open proactive investigations into anti-Semitism at five higher education campuses.The Brandeis Center is currently suing UC Berkeley, one of the schools being investigated, for the “longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism.”“This is exactly the right step to be taking and the right time to be taking it. The administration is sending a clear message to the higher education community that the U.S. Department of Education is prioritizing the current anti-Semitism crisis,” said Kenneth L. Marcus, Founder and Chairman of the Brandeis Center and the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights who ran OCR for Presidents Bush and Trump. “Rather than sitting back and waiting for complaints to pile up, federal investigators are finally doing their jobs: identifying colleges that need to be investigated, and taking firm, public measures where needed. The cavalry has arrived. The Brandeis Center has been urging this approach since October 7, 2023, and we were repeatedly disappointed that the prior administration failed to accept our recommendation.”“This is a clear sign that this administration will respond to campus anti-Semitism with the boldness, vigor, and seriousness it deserves. At a time when anti-Semitism has continued to rise across the nation, we commend Secretary Linda McMahon and Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor for holding our universities accountable to provide safe, inclusive environments for all students, and we look forward to the results of these investigations and any action to follow. This announcement is a win for anyone who cares about civil rights — the Department of Education is showing us today that it can, and will, build on the White House’s bold Executive Orders with enforcement and action around the country,” added Marcus. OCR announced its investigations will include a variety of universities. Some, like UC Berkeley and Columbia University, are clearly ripe for investigation following the public, rampant and ongoing anti-Semitic activity. Other universities have remained under the radar but provide an important geographical diversity and national scope that underscores not only the pervasive nature of campus anti-Semitism, but also OCR’s attention to Jewish students throughout the country, at all universities, not just a handful of prominent ones. The Brandeis Center is encouraged to see the Trump administration take early, affirmative steps that reach beyond the Biden administrations reactive responses to OCR complaints.