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Swarthmore College faces Title VI investigation following CAIR complaint

The college faced a separate Title VI investigation in March after a complaint was filed over increased campus Jew-hatred following the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Parrish Hall at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Credit: Kungming2 via Wikimedia Commons.
Parrish Hall at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Credit: Kungming2 via Wikimedia Commons.

The U.S. Department of Education opened a Title VI investigation on Dec. 3 into complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian bias at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

The case includes complaints of denial of benefits, retaliation and national origin discrimination involving religion.

CAIR-Philadelphia and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee announced on Oct. 29 the filing of a 32-page Title VI complaint against the school, alleging both anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian bigotry.

“It is sad that an institution with Swarthmore College’s caliber would repeatedly fail its community members and foster an unsafe environment,” CAIR-Philadelphia legal director Adam Alaa Attia said. “We hope this complaint serves as a solid reminder that Swarthmore’s own students and faculty are dedicated to help it overcome its anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian bias.”

JNS contacted Swarthmore regarding the investigation but did not receive a response.

Swarthmore’s student population is about 7% Jewish, according to the Anti-Defamation League. A previous Title VI investigation began at the school in March over the college’s minimal response to increased antisemitic activity on campus following the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

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