UC Davis among dozens of schools facing federal probe of alleged civil rights violations
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating if nearly 90 elementary, secondary and higher education campuses across the nation — including at UC Davis and other University of California campuses — violated a federal civil rights law after an “alarming” rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination erupted at schools amid the Israel-Hamas war.
In a news release, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights said each campus is under review for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination by race, color and national origin. Federal officials added that a school under inquiry does not mean it broke the law.
The federal agency declined to say which incident in Davis sparked the probe launched on Dec. 14; officials said the agency does not comment on pending investigations. The UC system did not respond to a request for comment. UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC San Diego are facing similar scrutiny in the probe.
Bill Kisliuk, a UC Davis spokesman, did not respond on the record to a question seeking an answer about which incident caused the investigation. He said UC Davis takes all claims of harassment seriously and believes the university’s “actions in response to complaints have been consistent” with UC Davis’ diversity, equity and inclusion principles, as well as federal law.
“The Office of Civil Rights has informed us of its investigation and we are fully cooperating,” Kisliuk said.
The Department of Education maintained its probe underscores how seriously President Joe Biden’s administration takes discrimination.
“We at the Department of Education, like the nation, see the fear students and school communities experience as hate proliferates in schools,” Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon said in the news release. “As we continue our active enforcement, the Office for Civil Rights is increasing transparency into our investigations for public awareness.”
Earlier this year, UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May condemned a social media message threatening Jewish American journalists that appeared to have been posted by Jemma Decristo, an associate professor of African American studies.
Decristo wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that there was easy access to Jewish reporters who spread propaganda and misinformation.
“They can fear their bosses, but they should fear us more,” the post showed. There were emojis of a knife, an ax and red drops included in the statement.
UC Davis launched an investigation in October to determine if Decristo violated the school’s code of conduct.
More than two months after the post was made, it remained unclear if Decristo was still an employee of UC Davis. On Friday, Kisliuk referred back to May’s statement on Oct. 19 in which May called the comments “revolting.”
The process to handle complaints against faculty members is confidential and the university does not publicly comment on the steps it is taking, according to Kisliuk.
Members of the UC Davis community are strongly encouraged to report incidents of hate to the university’s Harassment & Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program at reporthateandbias@ucdavis.edu, Kisliuk said.
