TAMPA, Fla. — The University of South Florida and the University of Tampa are among 60 colleges across the country to receive letters from the Department of Education for antisemitic discrimination and harassment complaints.
The USF investigation stems from pro-Palestinian protests that happened last year on campus. The protests prompted the university to update on-campus protest policies for the Fall 2024 school year.
Full letter sent to USF from the Department of Education:
In a response to the letter, USF provided this statement:
The University of South Florida strives to provide an environment free from discrimination or harassment on any basis, including religious beliefs. As we have reaffirmed numerous times, antisemitism has no place in our society and will not be tolerated on our campuses. USF continues to take steps to ensure that the university is a safe, supportive and welcoming place for our students, faculty, staff and others. In advance of the Fall 2024 semester, we updated our policy on discrimination and harassment to explicitly prohibit antisemitism, along with all other instances of hateful expression targeting individuals because of their religion, shared ancestry or cultural heritage. We also updated our policy on events to avoid disruptions to the learning environment and campus operations.
USF is currently participating in Hillel International’s flagship Campus Climate Initiative, a training and engagement initiative for college and university administrators, designed to address the rise of antisemitism on campuses.USF will continue to closely partner with members of our community to counter antisemitism.
The University of Tampa said it received a letter from the DOE regarding an incident that occurred between two students in September 2023 and has since been resolved.
Full statement from the University of Tampa:
The University of Tampa is in receipt of the Department of Education letter. It stems from an Office of Civil Rights (OCR) review of the University that was in response to a complaint about an incident that occurred in September 2023 between two students. The incident was resolved through the student conduct process. The University has fully complied with the OCR review to date. UTampa is committed to being an inclusive learning community, and condemns any form of discrimination, racism or any other form of hate.
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