The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) went to federal court and requested to enforce a subpoena that was issued during an investigation into allegations of antisemitism at the University of Pennsylvania.
In December of 2023, the EEOC accused the university of antisemitic harassment against faculty and staff. The EEOC also accused the school of not addressing alleged harassment complaints as well as allowing the incidents to escalate.
As part of the investigation, the EEOC had subpoenaed the identities of witnesses and victims surrounding the harassment claims.
“An employer’s obstruction of efforts to identify witnesses and victims undermines the EEOC’s ability to investigate harassment. In such cases, we will seek court intervention to secure full cooperation,” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said in a statement.
Penn faces allegations of antisemitism
The federal government opened civil rights investigations into seven schools and universities over allegations of antisemitism or Islamophobia in 2023.
The list included three Ivy League institutions — Columbia, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania — along with Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York.
The former president of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill, had testified at a hearing on Capitol Hill focused on antisemitism on Dec. 5, 2023, leading to public backlash over her responses which then led to her resignation.
Then, in March of 2024, Pro-Palestinian faculty at the University of Pennsylvania sued the Ivy League school to stop it from sending sensitive internal material to a congressional committee investigating antisemitism on campus — a probe they call “a new form of McCarthyism.”
Penn reacts to subpoena
On Wednesday morning, Penn provided the following statement in response to the EEOC’s efforts:
“Penn has worked diligently to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish life on campus. We have cooperated extensively with the EEOC, providing over 100 documents, totaling nearly 900 pages; however, we have not turned over to the government lists of Jewish employees, Jewish student employees and those associated with Jewish organizations, or their personal contact information. Violating their privacy and trust is antithetical to ensuring Penn’s Jewish community feels protected and safe.”
“The EEOC claims Penn did not produce documents in response to a subpoena. That is incorrect. Penn responded in good faith to all the subpoena requests and produced hundreds of documents in response to them. Penn has only objected to providing the personal information and confidential information of Jewish employees without their consent, and over employees’ objections.”
“The EEOC claims Penn is obstructing access to employees who might have claims. That is also incorrect. Penn provided the information of employee complainants who consented to have their information shared. Penn also offered to help the EEOC reach employees who are willing to speak with the agency by informing all employees of the investigation and how they could reach out to the agency. The EEOC rejected that offer.”
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
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