US Department of Education investigates claims of discrimination at Whitman College

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Whitman College for possible "discrimination involving shared ancestry," according to a list of Title VI investigations on the department’s website.

The page also lists several other investigations of West Coast schools, including the University of Washington, the University of California – Los Angeles and Stanford University.

Whitman College spokesperson Gina Zandy Ohnstad confirmed to the U-B that the investigation is occurring and said school officials will cooperate.

“Whitman College is cooperating fully with the Office of Civil Rights by providing the information requested and learning about the reported incidents,” she said. “We do not yet know the specifics of the allegations, and the OCR was clear that opening this investigation does not imply any finding of responsibility.”

According to the list, the investigation of Whitman College began Friday, Dec. 8.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits "discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance," according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s website.

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights conducts Title VI investigations of schools — from elementary school districts to colleges and universities — that have complaints of discrimination and lists the complaints on its website.

No specific information about the details of the Whitman College complaint is listed.

While the OCR lists 77 open investigations, with the earliest beginning in 2016, many of the investigations began after the outbreak of violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The latest batch of investigations of West Coast schools comes a few weeks after the Department issued a news release announcing investigations of several East Coast schools, including Harvard University and Columbia University.

"Hate has no place in our schools, period,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in the Thursday, Nov. 16, news release. “When students are targeted because they are — or are perceived to be — Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn. These investigations underscore how seriously the Biden-Harris Administration, including the U.S. Department of Education, takes our responsibility to protect students from hatred and discrimination.”

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Whitman College has been one of many colleges and universities nationwide where students and other residents have organized demonstrations.

Whitman College's Students for Justice in Palestine and the regional Party for Socialism and Liberation led a campus march from Ankeny Field to Walawàla Plaza on Thursday, Oct. 12, showing solidarity with Palestinian victims and advocating for the U.S. to end its aid to Israel.

About a month later on Thursday, Nov. 9, a group of Whitman College students began demanding an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees to vote on divesting from companies that support Israel. Several students occupied the campus Memorial Hall building and lawn as part of their demonstration. The sit-in ended three days later on Sunday, Nov. 12, after a group of students met with college officials.

On Tuesday, Nov. 28, Whitman College President Sarah Bolton issued a letter to the campus community.

"We have received concerns from students, faculty and staff, and see significant impacts on the well-being of a number of Jewish members of our community," Bolton wrote in the letter. "This is deeply troubling, and we must act to address it. Antisemitism has no place here. The same is true for Islamophobia and other forms of bias and discrimination."

Zandy Ohnstad said if the Department of Education investigation reveals ways Whitman College can better combat discrimination, officials will be open to those ideas.

“We are committed to our ongoing work to combat antisemitism and bias of any kind, and welcome insights the OCR may bring to those efforts,” she said.