Table of Contents
- Federal Investigation Findings
- Scope of Title VI Violations
- Hostile Campus Environment Details
- Harvard’s Systemic Failures
- Federal Funding at Risk
- Administration Response and Next Steps
- How to Report Civil Rights Violations
Federal Investigation Findings
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has officially determined that Harvard University violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This landmark decision follows an extensive investigation revealing the institution’s deliberate indifference toward harassment of Jewish and Israeli students.
The violations span from October 7, 2023, through the present day, encompassing a sustained period of discriminatory behavior that federal investigators found unacceptable for an institution receiving substantial federal funding.
Title VI Legal Framework
Title VI specifically prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin. This protection explicitly includes discrimination against individuals based on their actual or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or ancestry.
Scope of Title VI Violations
Financial Impact and Federal Funding
From fiscal years 2023 to 2025, Harvard and its subrecipients received over $794 million in federal financial assistance from HHS alone. This substantial funding comes with legal obligations that Harvard has failed to meet.
Investigation Sources and Evidence
OCR’s comprehensive investigation drew from multiple authoritative sources:
- Harvard’s internal policies and procedures
- Conclusions from Harvard’s own Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias
- Findings from a U.S. Congressional task force investigating campus antisemitism
- Reliable media reports documenting antisemitic incidents over 19 months
Hostile Campus Environment Details
Documented Harassment Patterns
The federal investigation revealed a severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive harassment environment that continues to exist at Harvard. This hostile atmosphere includes:
- Harassing speech and threats targeting Jewish and Israeli students
- Intimidation campaigns designed to exclude specific student populations
- Calls for genocide and murder against Jewish individuals
- Physical intimidation and violence between students
- Vandalism targeting Jewish facilities and symbols
Educational Opportunities Denied
The hostile environment has systematically denied students their fundamental educational rights, including:
- Safe classroom attendance without fear of harassment
- Access to campus facilities such as libraries, dining halls, and dormitories
- Participation in extracurricular activities without discrimination
- Overall physical and emotional well-being on campus premises
Harvard’s Systemic Failures
Policy and Enforcement Breakdown
Harvard demonstrated deliberate indifference through multiple systemic failures:
Inadequate Reporting Systems
- Failed to establish clear and consistent policies for reporting discrimination
- Lacked effective remediation procedures for addressing violations
Inconsistent Disciplinary Actions
- Applied sanctions inconsistently across similar cases
- Frequently reduced or reversed disciplinary measures
- Created a system with little to no deterrent effect
Enforcement Negligence
- Failed to enforce time, place, and manner restrictions consistently
- Allowed recurring unsanctioned episodes to continue
- Permitted Jewish and Israeli students to be excluded from campus areas
Federal Funding at Risk
HHS Response and Expectations
Paula M. Stannard, Director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS, emphasized that “Harvard’s public pledges to improve its disciplinary framework for harassment and misconduct are inadequate.” The federal government expects meaningful corrective action, not empty promises.
Compliance Requirements
HHS stands ready to engage in productive discussions with Harvard to establish corrective actions that will bring the institution into compliance with Title VI obligations. Failure to remedy these violations could jeopardize Harvard’s substantial federal funding.
Administration Response and Next Steps
Multi-Agency Task Force Initiative
This investigation represents part of a broader federal effort through the Administration’s multi-agency Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. The initiative aligns with recent executive orders addressing unlawful antisemitic harassment and violence.
Ongoing Investigations
Today’s findings represent the second completed OCR investigation under this Administration examining civil rights liability using a deliberate indifference theory. Additionally, OCR continues investigating suspected race-based discrimination within Harvard Law Review operations.
How to Report Civil Rights Violations
Filing Complaints with HHS OCR
Individuals who believe they’ve experienced discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion in HHS-funded programs can file complaints at: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint/index.html
Protected Categories
Federal civil rights protections extend beyond the specific violations found at Harvard, covering comprehensive categories of potential discrimination in federally funded programs and activities.
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