The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is one of 60 universities being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for possibly violating civil rights of students.
The Department’s Office for Civil Rights sent a letter out last week to at least 60 colleges which are “presently under investigation for Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”
The letter stated that the university failed to “stop antisemitism on campus” and warned the university that they could face “potential enforcement actions” if they do not comply with federal regulations.
In an email to Knox News, UT Spokesperson Kerry Gardner stated that the complaint referenced by the Department was from 2023 and was “based on an unrelated set of events” that a student “witnessed and/or heard about.”
“The student engaged with a variety of university offices in 2023, and the offices worked to support the student. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights reached out with a request for information about the student’s concerns in 2024. The university has cooperated fully with OCR,” Gardner said.
The first five universities came under investigation last month, resulting in the cancellation of $400 million in grant money to one of them, Columbia University.
The investigations come shortly after President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at combating anti-Semitism. Trump also posted on Truth Social that schools that allow “illegal protests” on campus could find themselves losing federal funding.
Last Spring, students at UT Knoxville held demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war, with several students being arrested for trespassing after they did not disperse by the deadline set by the university. Gardner did not address those protests in her statement.
Department of Education officials are pushing for universities to uphold civil rights in order to continue to receive taxpayer funding.
“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”
