SUCCESS: Department of Education Office for Civil Rights States George Washington University May Have Discriminated Based on Palestinian National Origin

George Washington University is forced to revise campus protest policies, nondiscrimination policies, and rejects Israel lobby definition of antisemitism after civil rights complaint

CONTACT: Palestine Legal Media | media@palestinelegal.org 

Jan. 23, 2025, Washington, DC – On January 17th, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and George Washington University (GW) entered into a resolution agreement ending a years-long investigation into possible Title VI violations at the University.

The agreement, which resolved two Title VI complaints—one filed on behalf of Palestinian students by Palestine Legal alleging anti-Palestinian discrimination, and another filed by Israel advocacy group StandWithUs alleging antisemitism—states that GW “may have treated [a pro-Palestine student] differently on the basis of shared ancestry[.]”

Rather than allow the investigation to complete —which could have led to a loss of federal funding—GW agreed to expunge charges brought against the student, Palestine Legal client Lance Lokas. For over two years, Lance has been targeted by the University for his organizing with GW Students for Justice in Palestine, including by being dragged through discriminatory student conduct processes over protests critical of Zionism and Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.

“I am glad to see GW have to take some accountability for its racist repression against student organizing for Palestine. But regardless of the University’s actions against our right to free speech and assembly, one thing remains certain: We will continue to mobilize and organize against genocide, for divestment, and for the total liberation of Palestine,” said Lance Lokas.

Furthermore, OCR found that the false narrative perpetuated by StandWithUs and other Israel advocacy groups about the conduct of Dr. Lara Sheehi, a former GW assistant professor of psychology who was targeted with a smear campaign after she invited a Palestinian professor with Israeli citizenship to speak at a lunch event, to be unsubstantiated. The resolution agreement, echoing an investigation conducted by a third party at the behest of the University, found “insufficient evidence” that Dr. Sheehi engaged in retaliation.

“For years now, GW has engaged in a pattern of discrimination against its Palestinian and pro-Palestinian community members and student organizers in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” said Palestine Legal Staff Attorney Dylan Saba. “This resolution agreement is a positive step toward ending that harmful and unlawful practice and creating an educational environment in which all are welcome and political expression is respected.”

GW also declined to adopt the controversial and distorted IHRA definition of antisemitism pushed for by StandWithUs in its Title VI complaint. The definition, which dangerously conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism, has been a major tool of anti-Palestinian repression nationwide.

Instead, the resolution directs GW to to ensure each policy and procedure includes a definition of what constitutes discrimination under Title VI that makes clear “shared Palestinian, Arab, South Asian and/or Muslim, and Jewish or Israeli ancestry and/or the association with these national origins/ancestries” is included.

GW must also revise “any policies and procedures pertaining to campus protests, demonstrations, and related forms of expression to ensure that they provide safeguards for non-discriminatory application and enforcement without regard to the race or national origin of the individual protestors and/or those on whose behalf the protest activities are taken” [emphasis added].

GW must also conduct a climate survey that will define national origin as including shared Palestinian, Arab, South Asian, and/or Muslim, and Jewish or Israeli ancestry and/or the association with these national origins and provide OCR a report summarizing the survey, provide student and employee nondiscrimination training, which should include a discussion on “the intersection between Title VI and free expression” and train Student Rights and Responsibility — the office that wrongly targeted Lance and SJP — staff members responsible for student conduct code enforcement on ensuring that charges and investigations and disciplinary actions “are consistent with the requirements of Title VI.”

“We’re pleased GW and the Department of Education specifically recognized that treating students who protest on behalf of Palestinians differently constitutes discrimination under Title VI,” said Palestine Legal Senior Staff Attorney Radhika Sainath. “What this means, is that students speaking out against the genocide of Palestinians or saying that they believe Zionism is racist against Palestinians are protected by Title VI — even if they themselves may not be Palestinian.”

"As a Palestinian protesting the genocide of my family in Gaza, it’s a relief to see the Office for Civil Rights force GW to take discrimination against Palestinians and our allies seriously”, said Palestinian GW student Moataz Salim. "Our university has tried to silence us for too long, and the law does not allow it."

BACKGROUNDER:

Palestine Legal filed the Title VI complaint against GW in February 2023, on behalf of three GW students who had each been the target of anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment. The complaint alleged how for years, Palestinian students and students perceived to be Palestinian have been denied access to mental health services, falsely accused of committing crimes, disproportionately investigated by campus police, put through months-long disciplinary processes for infractions that non-Palestinian students admitted to, and subjected to racist anti-Palestinian comments in class.

The complaint describes how Lance was falsely accused of vandalism by GW Hillel’s executive director and forced to answer for an infraction that a white, Jewish student already admitted to. Hillel and GW have still refused to apologize.

The complaint also describes how after Dr. Sheehi organized an optional brown bag lunch featuring a Hebrew University professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, anti-Palestinian students took over her class the following Monday, aking numerous anti-Palestinian statements, including that the Palestinian speaker “would dance on [the student’s] niece’s grave” and that Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli army are terrorists,

The discrimination, harassment, stereotyping, disparate treatment, and racial profiling described in the civil rights complaint are not isolated instances but are the product of both deep-rooted, dehumanizing bigotry against Palestinians and decades-long systematic efforts by anti-Palestinian groups and their allies to suppress advocacy for Palestinian rights on college campuses.