After the Justice Department accused the University of California, Los Angeles of failing to protect Israeli and Jewish students during recent campus protests, the university revealed that it no longer has access to important federal research money.
The announcement follows a court ruling that UCLA failed to protect students during the pro-Palestinian protests that broke out at UCLA and other colleges nationwide last spring and summer in response to Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Officials at the university said hundreds of research awards could be disrupted, but they did not say how much funding would be impacted overall.
The federal government cites bias and anti-Semitism as the causes in its notice to us. In a statement to the campus community on Thursday, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk stated that the extensive punishment of cutting off funds for life-saving research does little to resolve any claims of discrimination.
Some federally funded research programs will now be suspended, according to Frenk, who also revealed that the decision involves entities including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
The researchers who depend on essential funds are not the only ones who suffer from this. He went on to say that it is a loss for all Americans whose future, employment, and health depend on the innovative work we undertake.
In response to college demonstrations demanding divestment from Israel, the Trump administration has opened civil rights and constitutional investigations at UCLA and dozens of other American campuses.
President Donald Trump has increased pressure on prestigious universities since taking office again in January, claiming that they have not adequately protected Jewish students and have not enforced diversity, equity, and inclusion rules.
In a letter sent to UCLA on Tuesday, the Justice Department claimed that the university had intentionally ignored the creation of a hostile learning environment for Jewish and Israeli students, in violation of both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
A multimillion-dollar legal settlement was also reached by UCLA that same day. It includes a $6.13 million payoff to three Jewish students and a professor who alleged the university had violated their civil rights by allowing the protests to endure.
Reiterating UCLA’s commitment to eliminating anti-Semitism, Chancellor Frenk said the university has taken proactive measures to better handle protests and started a program to prevent anti-Jewish discrimination.
