ASU on list of 60 universities that received Dept. of Ed. letter over alleged antisemitic discrimination

ASU under investigation by the federal government

Arizona State University is under investigation for possible violations towards Jewish students, and the university has received a warning letter from federal officials, warning of potential enforcement actions.

PHOENIX - Officials with the U.S. Department of Education said on March 10 that Arizona State University is on a list of 60 universities across the U.S. that has received a letter from the department, warning them of "potential enforcement actions" over allegations that they failed to protect Jewish students on campus.

What we know:

Per a statement, ASU and the other 59 universities could face "potential enforcement actions" if they "do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities."

"The Department’s OCR sent these letters under its authority to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964), which prohibits any institution that receives federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color, and national origin. National origin includes shared (Jewish) ancestry," read a portion of the statement.

ASU is the only Arizona-based university on the list.

Dig deeper:

The statement did not mention any specific incidents that prompted the warning, but in late April 2024, dozens of people people were arrested in connection with protests over Israel's conflict with Hamas.

"It’s sad what’s happening in Gaza right now. It’s just on another level of being so terrible," said protester Waleed Zaitoun at the time. "The message I want to send to ASU is stop the funding."

According to our report on the protests, video posted to social media showed that demonstrations spilled late into the night before authorities decided to break up the gathering on grounds of trespassing and an unauthorized encampment, which they said was a violation of university policy.

In a separate report, some Jewish ASU students we spoke with said they have been targeted on campus.

"I was wearing a shirt that literally just said ‘I love being Jewish,' and a few guys came up and started yelling at me. ‘Free Palestine!' and ‘Allah Akbar!’ and things in Arabic which I didn't understand, but it was very scary. It was just 1 p.m., and I was trying to get to class," said Aleeza Feffer, who was a sophomore at the time.