Muhlenberg College has entered into a resolution agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) following concerns over the college’s handling of antisemitism and harassment complaints.
The investigation stemmed from allegations that a professor’s comments in class and social media posts created a hostile environment for Jewish students. Despite multiple complaints, the college was found to have inadequately addressed the issue, leading to fears among students and a disruption of their academic experience. The agreement aims to ensure that Muhlenberg strengthens its policies to fully comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
While Muhlenberg had addressed some complaints, OCR found that the college only thoroughly assessed whether a hostile environment was created in two out of eight incidents. Moreover, the college failed to take appropriate steps to redress the impact of these incidents, which affected students’ ability to participate in educational activities.
To resolve these issues, the college has committed to reviewing all complaints against the professor, evaluating its response to previous reports of discrimination during the 2023-2024 academic year, and ensuring that incidents of harassment, including those on social media, are properly addressed. Additionally, Muhlenberg will provide staff training on Title VI obligations and the college’s anti-harassment policies and administer a climate assessment to gauge the campus environment regarding shared ancestry discrimination.
“Muhlenberg College has committed to taking additional actions to build on its already strong policies to ensure that its practices responsive to concerns from students and other college community members fulfill its Title VI obligations as already described in its campus policies,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon said in a press release. “All students deserve to learn in an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment, whether carried out by a student or faculty or staff member.”
The college has already implemented several measures, including community-wide communications, specific outreach to Jewish, Muslim, and Palestinian students, and training on social media best practices, discrimination, and protected speech.
