Federal education officials this week sent a letter to Middlebury College warning of possible “enforcement actions” related to an ongoing investigation into allegations of antisemitic discrimination at the university.
Middlebury is one of 60 universities that received the letters from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, according to an agency press release. Specifics regarding what “enforcement actions” could mean were not provided.
According to the release, all of the institutions that received letters are currently under investigation for alleged violations against Jewish students under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The landmark statute prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin at institutions that receive federal funding.
The investigation at Middlebury stems from a complaint filed in February 2024 by the nonprofit group StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice. On its website, StandWithUs is described as an “education organization dedicated to supporting Israel and combating antisemitism.” The group has taken multiple legal actions against universities in the U.S.
The complaint outlines several incidents that occurred on campus following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that they said made Jewish students feel unsafe and that created “a pervasively hostile antisemitic campus climate at Middlebury.”
That includes concerns that the college administration failed to properly investigate Jewish students’ reports of slogans on campus, such as “from the river to the sea,” which is seen by some as antisemitic. The complaint also alleges Middlebury engaged in “discriminatory and disparate treatment” of Jewish students who planned a vigil to honor victims of the Oct. 7 attack, and called for an investigation under Title VI.
Shortly after the complaint was filed, Middlebury launched a webpage laying out its approach to supporting students in relation to the Israel-Gaza war and outlining a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination. It said phrases including “from the river to the sea” are considered protected speech under university guidelines, but that calls for genocide violate Middlebury’s code of conduct.
In an emailed statement Tuesday, Middlebury spokesperson Jon Reidel said the university is cooperating with federal investigators.
“We are committed to our educational mission, and that includes supporting all students with no tolerance for discriminatory behavior on our campus,” he said.
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