May 7, 2025
Statement on federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism review
The University of Washington has received a notice that the federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism has initiated a review of federal grants and contracts at the University. This follows a several-hour building takeover on May 5 involving significant damage to the building and equipment inside it, setting dumpsters on fire outside the building, and delaying emergency responders. Thirty-four individuals were arrested and are subject to criminal prosecution and University disciplinary processes. The 21 students who were arrested have been suspended and banned from all UW campuses. Non-student participants will be banned from the UW’s Seattle campus.
The University of Washington condemns antisemitism, harassment and discrimination. Throughout the May 5th incident, the UW was in contact with campus and Seattle Jewish community leaders. We value these partnerships and understand their deep concern. The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle issued a public statement noting the University’s swift response and clear denunciation of antisemitism.
The University of Washington fully complies with Title VI and other federal civil rights laws. We also recognize the need to continually improve and have for many months been taking concrete actions to improve the campus climate for Jewish students, faculty, staff and visitors. This includes the creation of a full-time Title VI coordinator position, training on preventing shared ancestry discrimination, a review of University policies and procedures, strengthening relationships with the Jewish community, improvement of bias incident reporting and response processes, and consolidation of anti-discrimination compliance in a new Civil Rights Compliance Office. And this March, the University’s Board of Regents overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
The University values its long-standing partnership with the federal government. We will cooperate with the Task Force’s review and are confident that an evaluation will find we are in compliance with federal civil rights laws.
