Feds Reject Anti-Semitism Claims At 3 UC Campuses
BERKELEY (CBS/AP) -- The federal government has dismissed allegations that three University of California campuses failed to effectively respond to claims of anti-Semitism.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights said in letters sent last week to leaders at UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and UC Irvine that the pro-Palestinian events that gave rise to the claims didn't constitute harassment of Jewish students.
The events at the center of the complaints included demonstrations, teach-ins, anti-Israel slogans and graffiti and heated confrontations between Jewish and Muslim students as long ago as 2007.
In its Aug. 19 letters to the universities, the Education Department said that college campuses foster debate and students shouldn't be surprised if some of the ideas they hear are personally offensive.
The department interviewed and surveyed students as part of its investigation.
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