A congressional committee has launched an investigation into allegations of antisemitism at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
The Republican-led House Committee on Education and Workforce sent a letter to the college Monday for allegedly failing to address antisemitism under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Two other medical schools — the University of California at San Francisco and University of California at Los Angeles Geffen School of Medicine — also received notices from the House body.
In the letter, Committee Chair Tim Walberg, R-Mich., outlined a series of reported incidents of harassment toward Jewish students at the college. The allegations stretch back to 2023.
“The Committee has become aware that Jewish students are experiencing hostility and fear at the university, and it has not been demonstrated that the university has meaningfully responded to address and mitigate this problem,” Walberg said in the letter.
A university spokesperson said in a statement that the school “condemns antisemitism, hate and discrimination in all its forms.”
“We take seriously any allegations of harassment or bias within our campus community,” the spokesperson said. “The university is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment and will respond to the committee’s questions as requested.”
The University of Illinois College of Medicine is the third Chicago-area institution to be targeted by the committee, following Northwestern University and DePaul University. After receiving similar letters, the presidents of both schools were called to testify before Congress.
According to the letter, allegations at the medical school include the repeated removal of posters raising awareness for hostages following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, unexplained cancellation of a Holocaust speaker and hateful messages posted by students on a school Slack channel.
“Having students walk around campus or attend class fearing that they will be harassed because they are Jewish creates a hostile environment that universities are obligated to respond to under Title VI,” Walberg wrote.
College officials were asked to respond to the letter by Sept. 8 and provide documentation relating to the allegations and any other reported antisemitic incidents.
Universities nationwide have faced increased federal scrutiny under the Trump administration. Northwestern has faced a $790 million federal funding freeze since April, which came as several federal agencies
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launched investigations into the campus environment for Jewish students.