Portland State University appears to be one of five universities targeted by the Trump administration’s Education Department for alleged antisemitism.

In an announcement Monday, the U.S. Department of Education said it is opening a civil rights investigation into how PSU handled student-led protests over the war in Gaza last year.

“The Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses, nor will it stand by idly if universities fail to combat Jew hatred and the unlawful harassment and violence it animates,” Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in the announcement.

The war in Gaza sparked protests at universities across the U.S. last school year. And reports of both antisemitism and Islamophobia were rampant.

At Portland State, students and other demonstrators occupied the university’s library for days, ending in a violent standoff with police. The protests set off debates between PSU’s campus community over freedom of speech and safety.

The new federal investigation is in response to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last week. The order directs all U.S. agencies to find additional ways to curb antisemitism within 60 days.

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights already investigates complaints of this matter under Title VI, a part of federal civil rights law that protects students from discrimination based on race, color or national origin. All schools must comply with the law or risk losing access to federal financial aid, like Pell Grants and federal student loans.

Most Title VI cases originate from whistleblowers at colleges and universities, rather than a federal directive. Now the Education Department is using that arm to “hold institutions accountable.”

“Portland State University is dedicated to upholding a safe, inclusive and respectful community for all community members,” said a PSU spokesperson in an email. “The university continues to support and engage with efforts to combat antisemitism and mitigate the impact of hate and bias.”

The university also noted that the federal notice “is not in itself evidence of any violation.” PSU plans to fully cooperate with the Education Department.

PDX Hillel, the Portland chapter of the Jewish campus organization, welcomed the investigation.

“We hope this investigation, along with other initiatives already underway, will continue to improve the campus climate for Jewish students,” said PDX Hillel Executive Director Hannah Sherman in a statement.

Portland State is already under a federal microscope for the way it responded to the appearance of anti-Palestinian posters inside a campus building last summer. The Education Department’s civil rights office opened a Title VI investigation into that incident last August. That investigation is still open.

In addition to the public universities, University of California, Berkeley and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, the investigations of antisemitic harassment are targeting Columbia University and Northwestern University - two private institutions.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/03/trump-administration-portland-state-university-antisemitism-student-protests-israel-gaza-war/