ISLA VISTA, Calif. – On Thursday, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights under Law filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the University of California, Santa Barbara, on behalf of student government president Tessa Bexler.
The national legal advocacy group, founded to promote Jewish civil and human rights, has warned of “severe and sustained anti-Semitism by colleagues on campus because of our common Jewish ancestry.” The complaint was filed on Beksler's behalf, alleging “bullying and harassment.” and ethnicity,” the complaint filed Thursday with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights states.
Specifically, the Brandeis Center said the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in educational institutions receiving federal funding. claims.
Your News Channel covered when UC Santa Barbara's Multicultural Center and its associated Instagram profile became the scene of violent protests in February of this year.
Some messages directly targeted Wexler, resulting in the building being temporarily closed and the center's Instagram profile being shut down.
Below is the University Multicultural Center's Instagram post before it was deleted.
The Brandeis Center civil rights complaint includes images of posters and social media messages, two of which are featured below.
According to the complaint, Bexler reported the harassment and her concerns to university administrators on or about December 10, 2023, but the university's Office of Equal Opportunity and Anti-Discrimination did not directly respond to her report for more than three months. Ta.
In response to signs posted in and at the Multicultural Center in February, the university issued an official statement that read in part, “The campus was in a state of emergency over the weekend regarding offensive social media messages and signs. I was saddened to learn of the incidents involved.” Signage on our buildings has been removed and the campus investigates incidents of bias based on potential discrimination related to protected categories such as religion, citizenship, national or ethnic origin. Posting such messages violates our community principles. And inclusion. ”
However, the civil rights complaint notes that the response did not specify any anti-Semitic hostility, the exclusion of Jews from the multicultural center, or the targeting of Bechsler.
Bexler did not file any allegations through the university's internal grievance process, which the civil rights lawsuit allowed.
In April, details of a complaint revealed that a student government poster featuring Wechsler was vandalized.
The Brandeis Center shared that Ms. Bexler also received a dox, which is an act of disclosing personal information by an unauthorized person, when she posted her personal phone number on Instagram on March 5, 2024.
Fearing for her safety and suffering panic attacks, Bexler left campus to avoid harassment and took her final fall exam online, according to the complaint.
The civil rights lawsuit calls for a thorough investigation of discriminatory and harassing behavior against Bexler, outreach to UC Santa Barbara's broader Jewish community, updates to university policies and training, and a statement condemning the insurrection. They are asking the university to take a series of relief measures, including issuing a refund. – Semi-harassment.
In response to the civil rights lawsuit, the University of California, Santa Barbara, issued the following response: “The University is committed to supporting students and investigating and addressing all reports made to the University.'' We look forward to working with the Department of Education.”
