On Feb. 24, Mary Osako, UCLA vice chancellor for strategic communications, reaffirms UCLA’s strong position against antisemitism in response to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, alleging a hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli employees at UCLA.
In a press release on that same day, the DOJ sues the University of California claiming that UCLA “has ignored, and continues to ignore, gross and repeated violations … directed against Jewish and Israeli employees.” The alleged violations UCLA reportedly ignores, included graffitiing swastikas on campus and assaulting Jewish professors.
According to the DOJ, these alleged acts of antisemitism have led Jewish and Israeli professors “to take leave, work from home, and even leave their jobs to avoid the hostile work environment.”
Osako pushes back against the allegations, stating that “UCLA has taken concrete and significant steps to strengthen campus safety, enforce policies and combat antisemitism in a systemic and sustained manner.”
Later in her statement, Osako emphasizes specific actions that UCLA has taken such as hiring an Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus and Community Safety and a dedicated Title VI/Title VII officer.
The lawsuit is ongoing, and federal cases such as this can take months or years to be resolved. However, more information such as procedural scheduling and formal court filings from UCLA can be expected in the coming weeks.
