Commissioner calls allegations of anti-Semitism at Stanford 'deeply troubling'
An Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Commissioner referred to complaints of anti-Semitism at Stanford as 'deeply troubling' during a panel on rising anti-Semitism hosted by the Louis D. Brandeis Center.
The Brandeis Center claims that Stanford has not taken any action to address the anti-Semitism accusations before the school.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center recently hosted a panel to address the rise of anti-Semitism in the workplace and teach ways to combat any type of harassment against Jewish members of the community.
During the panel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Commissioner Andrea Lucas, referred to the Brandeis Center’s complaint of anti-Semitism at Stanford University as “deeply troubling.”
According to the Brandeis Center, “Lucas specifically highlighted serious concerns about the ‘segregation of Jewish employees in white affirming and white passing affinity groups, separated out from other individuals of color’ that allegedly took place in one of Stanford University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs as well as DEI leaders ‘dismissing allegations of Zoom bombings with swastikas out of concern that it would draw attention away from anti-Black anti-racism concerns.’”
““I am deeply troubled by the rise in antisemitism over the past year, including the horrifying situation that occurred last weekend in Texas. As a nation, we can and must do better to speak out and stop antisemitism in our workplaces, schools, and communities,” Lucas told Campus Reform.
During the panel, Brandeis Center founder Kenneth L. Marcus noted that “frighteningly many of the examples cited by the Commissioners are exactly what [they] saw take place at Stanford University and we don’t want repeated in other DEI programs.”
“These behaviors completely undermine the purpose for which DEI programs are developed,” Marcus added.
In its formal complaint against Stanford University, the Brandeis center alleged that “Stanford University’s Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) division has created and fostered a hostile and unwelcoming environment for Jews in its DEI program, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.”
The complaint also alleges that Stanford has yet to address the anti-Semitism or any incidents of “Jew-hatred“ at Stanford. Instead, it says the CAPS DEI program is purposefully ignoring the incidents of anti-Semitism on campus, all while allowing a presenter to discuss “a program that will explore how Jews are connected to white supremacy” during a presentation to pre-doctoral students about CAPS internship and training opportunities.
“Stanford is deeply committed to nurturing a diverse and inclusive work environment, one free from harassment and discrimination of any kind. Stanford forcefully rejects anti-Semitism in all its forms,” a Stanford University spokesperson told Campus Reform, adding that the university had conducted an investigation that “found no evidence of discrimination against the complainants” but did conclude that some conduct in question was violated the harassment policy.
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”While Stanford strongly believes that the exhibited behavior is not in violation of any legal standard, the investigator concluded that it was prohibited under Stanford’s applicable policies,” the spokesperson added. “This lower threshold allows the university to intervene and address matters before they rise to the level of a legal violation and contributes to a better workplace.”
“As part of our long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, and to ensure consistency in the approach across campus, we have a centralized Diversity Equity and Inclusion learning program aimed at recognizing and addressing bias and discrimination. Stanford’s university-wide DEI program is designed to guide units on best practices and ensures consistency across campus. Our program aims to build awareness, further establish inclusive behaviors, and foster a more inclusive mindset,” the spokesperson said.
Brandeis Center President Alyza Lewin told Campus Reform that this investigation should have yielded more action from the university.”
”Stanford’s own investigation confirmed its employees engaged in the harassment of Jewish employees, however the university has yet to address the wrongdoing and take the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again” Lewin said. “True commitment means taking disciplinary action against the staff that violated the university’s code of conduct, ending the racially segregated affinity groups, reforming its DEI program and training DEI leaders in anti-Semitism to ensure future programs don’t make the same mistakes, and including Jewish identity and anti-Semitism in the university’s centralized DEI program.”
”Stanford can say it is committed to nurturing a diverse and inclusive work environment and that it rejects anti-Semitism, however actions speak louder than words,” Lewin continued. “If Stanford truly ‘aims to build awareness, further establish inclusive behaviors, and foster a more inclusive mindset,’ as they claim, it must make a genuine public commitment to reform its program so it is inclusive of Jewish identity and the Jewish experience and eliminates adverse racial stereotyping of Jews and other groups. Barring serious corrective action, Stanford’s DEI programs risk continuing to foster a hostile and unwelcoming environment for Jews, and completely undermining the purpose for which Stanford’s DEI program was developed.”
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