House committee hears university leaders, civil‑rights lawyer on rise of antisemitism and enforcement gaps on campuses

WASHINGTON — University leaders and a former Department of Education civil‑rights official told the House Committee on Education and Labor on Friday that antisemitism on American college campuses has increased since Oct. 7, 2023, while enforcement tools and capacity to investigate complaints have been diminished.

The hearing brought together Robert M. Groves, interim president of Georgetown University; Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY); Matt Nosanchuk, a former deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR); and Richard K. Lyons, chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.

"Antisemitism is incompatible with living our mission," Robert M. Groves said, describing Georgetown's efforts to respond to incidents and to provide campus religious leaders and centers to support interfaith dialogue. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez told the committee, "antisemitism has no place at CUNY," noting CUNY's size — "nearly 200,040 degree seeking students and employ[ing] 40,000 people" systemwide — and the system's steps to centralize investigations and build programs to counter hate.

The witnesses and committee members focused much of their discussion on OCR, the federal office charged with enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Matt Nosanchuk said the office has been "gutted," citing staff reductions and the closure of regional offices, and testified that "OCR dismissed over 3,400 complaints in just 3 months," which he said made thorough investigations impossible. Nosanchuk told members that when OCR previously opened and resolved cases, it used monitored resolution agreements that produced concrete campus changes such as climate surveys and mandatory training.

Chancellors and presidents described local actions taken at their institutions. Matos Rodríguez said CUNY received "68 complaints of antisemitism" in 2024 and "16" in 2025 so far, and said the system disciplined 18 students for antisemitic conduct over the past two years and an additional 25 for inappropriate conduct at protests. He described a March 2024 encampment at City College that ended with city police involvement, said CUNY has since adopted a zero‑tolerance policy for encampments, increased security staffing and centralized complaint handling in a new office.

Richard K. Lyons said Berkeley has adopted time, place and manner rules, instituted new antisemitism training for incoming students and created campus advisory groups and educational initiatives. He said Berkeley's approach balances free speech protections with policies aimed to prevent harassment: "As a public university, we have a solemn obligation to protect our community from discrimination and harassment while also upholding the First Amendment right to free speech."

Committee members pressed university leaders about specific campus incidents, faculty speech, and campus‑affiliated organizations. Representatives cited social media posts and public remarks by individual faculty members and outside speakers, asked what disciplinary actions had been taken, and pressed whether institutions had vetting processes for prospective hires. Witnesses said they have investigated or reviewed several cases, have dismissed or placed employees on leave in some instances, and pledged to follow discipline policies when investigations warrant.

Several members from both parties criticized the Justice Department and the Department of Education's recent actions. Democratic members argued that striking down or dismantling parts of the Department of Education, reducing OCR staffing and withholding funds harm students and weaken civil‑rights enforcement. Republicans said universities had allowed antisemitic speech and conduct to flourish and called for greater oversight and transparency, including around foreign funding and unions'roles on campus.

Nosanchuk recommended Congress restore OCR funding and staff, saying that the office should be returned to at least $200 million and that experienced investigators should be rehired. He told the committee that previously negotiated OCR resolution agreements had measurable benefits on campuses, including faster response to bias incidents and increased Jewish student engagement with campus life.

The hearing included repeated references to the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and the role of campus policies such as time, place and manner rules. Members also discussed Students for Justice in Palestine chapters, faculty unions such as the Professional Staff Congress at CUNY, and off‑campus speakers and online doxxing of students.

The hearing record will remain open for 14 days to accept additional written statements, the chairman said. No formal committee votes or binding actions were taken during the session.

Ending note: witnesses and members agreed on the stated goal of safer campuses for all students but differed on remedies. Nosanchuk and several Democratic members urged strengthening OCR and resourcing civil‑rights enforcement; several Republican members urged universities to take swifter disciplinary steps, increase transparency around foreign funding and to more actively police campus speakers and affiliated groups.