CLEVELAND (WJW) – Federal officials are investigating discrimination allegations against Case Western Reserve University, the school confirmed Thursday evening.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened its investigation into claims made by the Cleveland and Northern Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR-Ohio filed a Title VI complaint against CWRU back in July, accusing the university of “bias and hostility against students protesting for Palestine, including, but not limited to failure to address harassment, and unequal disciplinary actions against Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students,” the group said a press release.
In one instance, according to the complaint, two individuals who weren’t students came onto campus during a pro-Palestine encampment between April 29 and May 8, using bullhorns to call students names and harass them.
“Despite the administration’s knowledge of this continuous and constant harassment that was threatening, intimidating, and Islamophobic to its Palestinian, Palestinian-affiliated, Arab, and Muslim students, it took no action to cease the ongoing harassment,” the complaint said.
The group is calling on the university to ensure Palestinian students have access to the same services as other students, to reinstate suspended Palestinian groups, to stop silencing these groups and to issue an apology and statement “condemning anti-Palestinian racism and discrimination,” the complaint said.
A Case Western spokesperson released the following statement to FOX 8:
Case Western Reserve University received a notice today that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) has opened an investigation into allegations in a complaint made by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) about the university. As the OCR’s procedures clearly state, “opening a complaint for investigation in no way implies that OCR has made a determination with regard to the merits of the complaint.” Case Western Reserve will fully cooperate with the OCR and welcomes the opportunity to demonstrate that the university takes seriously its obligation to fully comply with Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The university’s policies and procedures have been and continue to be fair, impartial and designed to provide equal access to facilities and resources, ensure the safety of all members of our campus community, and protect our community members’ freedom of expression.
