Federal college antisemitism probe may include Denver’s Auraria campus

A year-long investigation by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights into the increasing antisemitism at American colleges may include Denver’s Auraria campus, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators held a nearly month-long encampment last year.

The commission’s Colorado Advisory Committee will be hosting two public meetings online next month to plan virtual briefings on examining campus antisemitism at three Colorado universities, as mentioned in a notice in the Federal Register this week.

Ana Victoria Fortes, a civil rights analyst with the federal commission, stated in an email on Friday that the advisory committee will vote on a draft project proposal at the first meeting on May 8, which includes the Auraria campus housing the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and University of Colorado Denver.

A spokesperson for the Auraria campus did not respond to a comment request on Friday.

The proposal may change following the discussion at the meeting, and Fortes mentioned via email that she was unavailable for an interview on Friday.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights decided unanimously on Jan. 17 to initiate an investigation titled “Federal Response to the Rise in Antisemitism on American College and University Campuses,” with a report due in fiscal year 2026, running from Oct. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026.

The commission, established by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, comprises eight bipartisan members – legal scholars, business individuals, and politicians – appointed by the president and Congress. It serves as a fact-finding agency with a goal of informing civil rights policy and enforcement.

During the Jan. 17 meeting, the commissioners mentioned that the federal investigation would assess how the U.S. Department of Education and its Office of Civil Rights reacted to allegations of antisemitic incidents on college campuses since October 2023, following an attack by Hamas on Israel’s southern border.

The response from Israel, involving the bombing and invasion of Gaza, led to the death of over 50,000 Palestinians and sparked anti-war protests on campuses across the U.S., including Colorado. The 23-day encampment at the downtown Auraria campus was the largest of the demonstrations in the state.

Commissioner Mondaire Jones, a Democrat appointed by Congress, stated that the commission will prioritize a variety of viewpoints on this controversial topic, as mentioned in a transcript of the meeting.

The meetings coincide with the Trump administration launching federal investigations and threatening to withhold federal funds from universities allegedly participating in antisemitic activities.

The Trump administration has claimed that universities, including Columbia and Harvard, failed to address antisemitism during last year’s campus protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Following the issuance of a list of demands by the Trump administration to Harvard to continue receiving federal funds, the university announced legal action this week to halt the federal freeze on grants after refusing to comply with demands to restrict activism on campus.