Lawmakers to propose antisemitism monitor for universities in bipartisan bill
A bipartisan bill is set to be introduced in Congress that would allow the Department of Education to set up an antisemitism monitor at colleges and universities that receive federal funding.
The move comes amid a wave of Pro-Palestinian protests at colleges across the country, and sponsors of the legislation say an antisemitism monitor is needed to protect Jewish students from discrimination. Schools would be forced to comply with the monitor, who would publish public reports of their findings, or lose federal funding.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., issued a written statement Friday: "My office and I have spoken with countless Jewish students from campuses across America who feel deeply unsafe, purely as a result of their religious and ethnic identity. This is a blatant violation of Title VI and the federal government cannot allow this to continue unchecked."
The COLUMBIA Act, or the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability Act, would allow the secretary of education to appoint a monitor who would be tasked with "evaluat(ing) in detail the progress that a college or university has made toward combating antisemitism on campus and issuing policy recommendations to Congress, the Secretary, and state and local regulators as needed."
Torres said he would co-sponsor the bill with Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.
Recent data shows incidents of both antisemitic discrimination and Islamophobic discrimination are up amid the Israel-Hamas war. The Department of Education has launched several investigations into discrimination claims of both kinds at U.S. schools, Reuters reported in November.
The Council on American Islamic Relations says it has seen a spike in Islamophobia and hate incidents since the start of the war.
"A lot of people in the Muslim community reported that the time period felt a lot worse to them than 9/11," CAIR staff attorney Zanah Ghalawanji said earlier this month.
What's happening at Columbia University and other campuses across the country?
Upheaval over the Israel-Hamas war began at Columbia University in New York City when University President Nemat Shafik spoke in Washington about how the Ivy League school planned to combat antisemitism on campus.
After her testimony, pro-Palestinian students launched a protest on the Columbia campus April 17 by pitching tents on campus grounds in what they called a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment."
They demanded the university sever ties to Israel amid the war.
"We demand divestment and an end to Columbia’s complicity in genocide," reads a post from by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine on X, formerly Twitter.
Protests have spread to the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Emory University in Atlanta and other schools.
Police across the nation have arrested hundreds of students and faculty protesters. Columbia University suspended some students. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent Texas state troopers to arrest protesters at UT-Austin. The University of Southern California has canceled its main commencement ceremony because of the unrest.
Contributing: Krystal Nurse
Contact Kayla Jimenez at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lawmakers to propose antisemitism monitor for universities
