On Feb. 3, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights notified the University that they will be investigating the Warren Alpert Medical School for alleged antisemitic incidents that occurred during its May 2024 commencement ceremony.
University Spokesperson Brian Clark said Brown is confident that their “actions in response to a protest on an adjacent public street” during the ceremony were in compliance with appropriate federal laws protecting students from discrimination.
The investigation will focus on whether the school “acted with deliberate indifference” towards events that might have “impacted Jewish students’ rights to access educational opportunities and benefits,” according to the press release announcing the investigations. The review was launched in alignment with Trump’s executive order addressing antisemitism, which specifically mentioned antisemitic harassment on university campuses.
The investigation was “prompted by claims in a news article published last month,” Clark wrote. The other three medical schools under investigation are Harvard, Columbia and Johns Hopkins University, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The medical schools will be examined to see if they complied under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act — which encompasses protections against discrimination based upon race, color or national origin — according to the press release.
“The reviews come in response to reported incidents of antisemitism and displays of offensive symbols and messaging during the ceremonies, including alleged expressions of support for terrorist organizations,” the press release stated, adding that the reports raise “serious concerns” for the protection of students under these statutes.
During the 2024 commencement ceremony — which recognized undergraduate, graduate and medical students — protesters led a “disruption,” calling for the University to divest. The demonstration was led by Brown Alumni for Palestine while the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel also organized a demonstration simultaneously.
“Jewish students are unfairly expected to bear the burden of unchecked micro and macro aggressions directed at them by peers,” said Rabbi Josh Bolton, the executive director of Brown-RISD Hillel, in response to the demonstration during the commencement at Warren Alpert.
“We will remain resolved in our efforts to ensure a campus community where all individuals feel safe and valued and where no instance of antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other form of discrimination or harassment in violation of Brown’s policy is tolerated,” Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.
Claire Song is a university news and science & research editor for The Herald. She is a sophomore from California studying Applied Math-Biology. She likes to drink boba in her free time.
