Two San Diego universities face discrimination investigations
SAN DIEGO — Two San Diego schools this year are under investigation for alleged shared ancestry violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), education officials said.
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and San Diego State University (SDSU) were among several schools being investigated, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said on its website.
The list of K-12 schools and institutions of higher education has gained attention as the Biden-Harris Administration addresses the nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K-12 schools since the Oct. 7 Mideast conflict.
Title VI prohibits race, color, or national origin discrimination, including harassment based on a person’s shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, per the DOE.
On Monday, the OCR opened an investigation on UCSD in La Jolla, who responded to FOX 5 with this statement:
“We have been informed of the investigation by the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. We are reviewing and will cooperate fully. UC San Diego takes all allegations of discrimination seriously and anyone experiencing harassment or discrimination is encouraged to reach out to UC San Diego’s Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination at ophd@ucsd.edu or ReportBias.ucsd.edu.”
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The OCR’s investigation on SDSU started on Oct. 25. The university told FOX 5 in a statement that “it received notice from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights dated October 25, 2023 regarding a complaint about an incident that reportedly occurred in June 2023, and that is in no way related to the Israel-Hamas War or any dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.”
“Due to student and employee privacy rights, specific information about those involved cannot be shared. Further, SDSU has continually affirmed that any instances of harassment, discrimination or acts of violence targeting individuals based on their background within our SDSU community will not be tolerated. We have encouraged our community members to use SDSU’s online reporting tools to report any instances of harassment and discrimination and encourage students, as well as faculty and staff, to rely on the many support services that exist on campus,” SDSU said.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona explained that “hate has no place in our schools, period.”
“When students are targeted because they are—or are perceived to be—Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn,” Cardona said. “These investigations underscore how seriously the Biden-Harris Administration, including the U.S. Department of Education, takes our responsibility to protect students from hatred and discrimination.”
An investigation was also opened in October of 2019 for Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon.
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