In March, six Massachusetts colleges and universities were named in a Department of Education announcement that 60 schools nationwide are under federal investigation for purported antisemitism.
It appears that many of the complaints predate President Donald Trump’s second administration and were filed in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.
As part of its March 10 announcement, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) said it has directed its enforcement staff to pursue a backlog of complaints alleging antisemitic violence and harassment, “many which were allowed to languish unresolved under the previous administration,” as an “immediate priority.”
Harvard University, Tufts University, Boston University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Emerson College and Wellesley College are the Massachusetts schools named as being “under investigation or monitoring in response to complaints filed with OCR” related to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.
Each of the schools under investigation received letters in March warning them of potential enforcement actions if they did not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.
Read more: Trump administration cuts another $450 million from Harvard
Harvard University’s ongoing battle with the Trump administration over antisemitism claims has become a global story and potential bellwether for higher education in the U.S.
Earlier this week, pointing to “pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment,” the Trump administration announced another round of funding cuts to Harvard, this time amounting to $450 million in grants — on top of the $2.2 billion already frozen.
Harvard is currently suing the federal government over the mass revocation of funding, while simultaneously acknowledging that they share “common ground” when it comes to ending antisemitism and bigotry on campus.
The antisemitism-related investigations at other Massachusetts schools are perhaps lesser-known. MassLive contacted the five other schools on the list about where the investigations stand.
The OCR did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
Tufts University
Tufts University spokesman Patrick Collins said the school was informed of the OCR investigation during the final days of the Biden administration.
“Since then, the Trump administration has signaled its intent to pursue the complaint,” Collins said.
The complaint stems from allegations pertaining to a March 2024 Tufts student body government hearing on a set of proposed resolutions “when debate on campus was particularly heated,” he said.
The Tufts Daily, the student newspaper, previously reported that the Tufts Community Union Senate voted at the hours-long hearing to approve three resolutions formally calling on President Sunil Kumar to recognize genocide in Gaza, for the university to divest from Israeli companies and for it to cease selling Sabra products in dining hall.
“Tufts intends to engage meaningfully and in good faith with the government’s inquiry,” Collins said, while adding that Tufts has “fostered a vibrant Jewish student life; established policies, practices and training to improve our campus climate and fight antisemitism, promoted listening and dialogue across campus; and vigorously condemned antisemitic incidents on campus.”
Tufts incorporated antisemitism sessions into its first-year student orientation program in fall 2024 and additional educational sessions during spring 2025, Collins said.
“Our commitment to ending antisemitism and creating an inclusive environment for our Jewish community at Tufts is unwavering,” he said.
UMass Amherst
Last February, UMass Amherst was notified of a federal investigation into allegations that it “discriminated against students on the basis of their national origin (shared Jewish ancestry) when it failed to respond appropriately to incidents of harassment during October and November 2023,” according to a prior statement.
The complaint was filed by the editor-in-chief of Campus Reform on behalf of a Jewish correspondent who was covering a protest at the school. Campus Reform is a national conservative news website covering higher education and is unaffiliated with any particular school.
The Student Union at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Sept. 9, 2024Nicole Simmons/MassLive
“The university condemns hatred, including antisemitism, in all forms,” the school said in a statement at the time. “The University of Massachusetts Amherst will continue to cooperate fully with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.”
Emily Gest, spokesperson for UMass Amherst, told MassLive the OCR has previously taken the position that its investigations are confidential, “and that our releasing documents related to it would interfere with its investigation.”
“The University defers to that precedential OCR position now,” she said, declining to comment further.
Wellesley College
In November 2023, two Jewish organizations filed civil rights complaints claiming Wellesley College failed to adequately respond to harassment of Jews.
The complaints were spurred by an email sent by resident advisors to a campus dormitory on Oct. 19, 2023, declaring “that there should be no space, no consideration and no support for Zionism within the Wellesley College community.”
Read more: Wellesley College responds to federal investigation into antisemitism claims
Buildings along Route 135 at Wellesley College.Chris McLaughlin
In response to the investigation, Wellesley President Paula Johnson wrote to the school community at the time: “We embrace freedom of expression for everyone in our community, which is critical to a liberal arts education and to a democracy. And, I want to be clear: Wellesley College condemns antisemitism, along with anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination, and any other form of hate.”
A spokesperson for Wellesley College told MassLive the school had nothing new to report on the topic at present.
“We are focused on our campus culture,” Johnson wrote in a May 13 letter to the school community. “Across our community, we are addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination by requiring training that educates all members of our community about Title VI protections.”
The school has also “doubled down” on its work to improve how students are taught to “engage across difference,” Johnson said.
No comment
Boston University and Emerson College did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
Like the UMass Amherst case, the Boston University complaint was filed with the OCR by the editor-in-chief of Campus Reform, alleging the school failed to respond to antisemitic harassment in November 2023.
While the specific contents of the Emerson College complaint weren’t immediately available, Emerson was an epicenter of protest and encampment activity related to the Israeli-Gaza war. More than 100 people were arrested last April in connection.
In April 2024, hundreds of protestors gathered on Boylston Place at an encampment neat Emerson College to ask for a ceasefire in support of Palestine.Sebastian Restrepo
How does the OCR handle civil rights complaints?
When the OCR receives a complaint, it evaluates its contents before agreeing to investigate it, according to its website, which calls the agency a “neutral fact-finder.”
If an investigation is ultimately launched, the office reviews evidence submitted by both parties, conducts interviews and site visits. At its conclusion, the investigation will determine if the evidence supports that the institution in question “failed to comply with the law.”
If a school is found to have failed in complying with civil rights laws, the OCR will attempt to negotiate a voluntary resolution agreement. If the school doesn’t agree to that, the OCR may start proceedings to “suspend, terminate or refuse to grant or continue federal financial assistance to the recipient, or may refer the case to the Department of Justice.”
