August 03, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
A review of Drexel by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights resolved that the university 'generally failed to fulfill' obligations with some reported incidents of antisemitism.
Drexel University has entered an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights after it announced the resolution of a complaint of alleged antisemitism on campus, promising to respond "more efficiently" to such incidents.
The federal probe began in Oct. 2023 when a Jewish student's dormitory door caught fire. While the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) concluded that the incident was not a case of antisemitism, it stated that Drexel "generally failed to fulfill" obligations in assessing whether or not these types of incidents created a hostile environment.
And where the university did make an assessment, it "misapplied the legal standard," according to the Department of Education.
The OCR said that Drexel took "proactive steps" to promote a nondiscriminatory space at the university with public statements, meetings with Jewish and Muslim leaders and other means.
But in investigating 35 incidents of alleged antisemitic harassment between Oct. 2022 and Jan. 2024, the OCR found evidence of a hostile environment at the university. Incidents cited include swastika graffiti, social media threats and the removal of mezuzot scrolls from dormitory doors.
"The university’s actions were limited to addressing each incident on an individual basis, including offering supportive resources to students, but did not consider whether broader and more responsive action was needed for the university community," read a release from the Department of Education.
A message to the Drexel community from outgoing president John Fry stated that the university has "voluntarily agreed to continue its ongoing and proactive efforts both to prevent discrimination and harassment and to clarify and strengthen our policies and procedures for responding to all complaints of discrimination and harassment."
Fry says that the agreement applies to protecting both Jewish and Muslim community members who might experience discrimination.
"By acting to prevent and respond more effectively to antisemitism and any conduct that threatens the sense of belonging we strive to maintain, Drexel will continue to grow more inclusive, and therefore better positioned to meet the many challenges facing our University community in the future," the statement ended.
The resolution agreement lists action items that include a review of the university's policies, annual training sessions for investigators of harassment incidents, training for community members addressing discrimination and requirements for assessing the university's "climate."
Said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon: "OCR will work with Drexel in the coming years to ensure its full satisfaction of its federal civil rights obligation to ensure that Jewish students at the university, and all students at the university, can learn safely in an environment free from stereotyped discrimination related to their shared ancestral backgrounds."
