The California State University system is under review by two federal agencies for separate discrimination-related issues, according to a statement released Friday by Chancellor Mildred García.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating allegations of antisemitism, beginning with CSU Los Angeles and now expanding across all 23 CSU campuses. On Thursday, CSULA officials said the EEOC issued a subpoena demanding the university turn over personal phone numbers and email addresses for all employees. That request follows an earlier order for basic contact information, which the campus has already provided.
The California Faculty Association, which represents CSU faculty, raised concerns about the new subpoena. CFA President Margarita Berta-Ávila said the demand “raises serious concerns about our members’ privacy.” The union is asking for a copy of the subpoena and urging CSULA not to comply until CFA has had a chance to review it.
On Friday, the Chancellor’s Office confirmed that the EEOC has now filed a systemwide antisemitism complaint, with investigators beginning to contact faculty and staff across multiple campuses. The focus of this investigation is to determine whether CSU faculty, staff and students have faced antisemitic discrimination or harassment within the system.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has notified CSU of a separate investigation into possible racial discrimination tied to the university’s former involvement with the PhD Project, a nonprofit aimed at diversifying business education. Until 2024, CSU shared faculty job postings on the group’s platform. The OCR is examining whether this practice created any preferential treatment in hiring based on race, which CSU denies.
In her letter to the CSU community, García emphasized that the university complies with state and federal law and does not discriminate in admissions or hiring. “The CSU is firmly committed to hiring the most qualified individuals based on experience and expertise alone,” she wrote. “No one is included, excluded, advantaged or disadvantaged because of a protected characteristic.”
The CFA also reminded members that if they are contacted by federal investigators, they are not required to answer questions immediately. Faculty and staff may ask for the investigator’s name, title and contact information, and then consult their union or legal counsel before responding.
The news has unsettled many across the CSU system, but leaders say their focus remains unchanged. “We will continue to advance the CSU’s mission through these and any challenges we face, just as we have throughout our 64-year history,” García said.
Both federal investigations are ongoing, and CSU officials have pledged to share updates with campuses as more information becomes available.
What is the focus of the investigation? The article doesn’t make that clear.
The EEOC has filed a complaint in order solicit claims of discrimination or harassment. This suggests that there is no body of evidence of antisemitism in the CSU (if there was they would have cited it) but that this is a politically motivated intimidation campaign targeting anyone standing up for the human rights of the Palestinian people. This seems legally suspect but that is beyond my expertise. From a social science perspective, if one wanted to investigate patterns of discrimination, one might design a study to identify experiences of discrimination or harassment broadly and then determine what portion of these are anti-Black, misogynistic, anti-Trans, anti-Asian, Islamophobic, anti-Latinx, Homophobic, antisemitic, or based on perceived immigration status, neurodivergence, accent, disability or other characteristics. The results of such a study might find antisemitism to be less prevalent than other forms of discrimination, undermining the political agenda behind this campaign. And the results of such a study might justify the need for increased DEI and ethnic studies programs.