Department of Education Launches Investigation of SDSU for an Email About Oct. 7 Lincoln Brown
The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation of San Diego State University. The reason? Following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, the school sent out a campus-wide email that talked about the pain and horror of the attack itself and committed the sin of offering students counseling. Of course, in 21st-century America, in which members of select demographics are perpetual victims, someone decided the email was offensive.
Campus Reform talked with a spokesperson from SDSU who confirmed that the university had been informed of the investigation, which came on the heels of a complaint that the email showed that the school “discriminated against Islamic, Arab, and/or Palestinian students by sending an all-campus email on Oct. 9.” To put a bow on it, the complaint also said that the missive “promoted hate and racism against Arabs and Muslims.”
The DOE issued a press release in November stating that the investigation was in response to the “rise in antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K-12 schools since the October 7 Israel-Hamas conflict.”
Note the use of the word “conflict” as opposed to the word “attacks.” And the conspicuous absence of the word “terrorism.”
Those issues aside, the press release from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona also included the expected phrase, “Hate has no place in our schools, period.” It also expressed concern for Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and any other students of any other “ethnicity or shared ancestry.”
The release said the DOE wants to make sure that it ensures “safe and inclusive learning environments.” It concludes: “These investigations underscore how seriously the Biden-Harris Administration, including the U.S. Department of Education, takes our responsibility to protect students from hatred and discrimination.”
Someone please remind me what the Biden Administration has done to protect Jews on or off campus from violence, intimidation, and harassment since Oct. 7, 2023. Never mind, I won’t insult your intelligence waiting for an answer.
I expect the investigation to be brief since the email is out there for everyone to read. You can review the full text here, but let’s take a look at some excerpts so that we can pinpoint exactly what may have sent someone running for their safe space.
Throughout this weekend and today, SDSU has been in direct communication with dozens of impacted community members after the horrific reports of killings and kidnappings following the Hamas attacks on Israel during Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, a major Jewish holy day. What is being reported is heartbreaking.
We are grieving for all those who are suffering in the wake of this outburst of violence. We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any act of violence, especially those against innocent civilians. We are deeply struck by the sheer scale of the loss of life – of innocent Israelis, Palestinians, and countless others.
To be sure – understanding that the events from this weekend will affect members of our diverse campus in different ways, we are writing to share our encouragement to utilize the support services available to all our students, faculty, and staff.
That is not exactly incendiary rhetoric, especially when one considers the list of counseling resources at the bottom. And if you read the entire missive, you will see that there is nothing anti-Arab, Muslim, or Sikh to be found. Not one word.
Some grad student, teaching assistant, tenured professor, or some other form of malcontent decided to feign grievous injury. And the DOE is continuing the administration’s policy of donning a suit of shining armor to attack a non-existent dragon as an actual monster tries to ravage the country.
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