Duval Times

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and Paul Clement have presented a plan to address antisemitism on college campuses. According to a survey by Alums for Campus Fairness, "44% of Jewish students report never or rarely feeling safe identifying as a Jew at their school."

Rubio and Clement argue that college administrators and local authorities have the power and responsibility to protect Jewish students but often fail in this duty. They propose that the U.S. needs a legal structure prohibiting antisemitic harassment on college campuses with clarity and enforcement.

Currently, Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally-funded educational institutions but does not specifically prohibit discrimination against Jews or cover religious discrimination.

The Preventing Antisemitic Harassment on Campuses Act aims to extend Title VI to include religious discrimination (excluding religious institutions). The bill is designed to respect free speech rights while targeting harassment not protected by the First Amendment according to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The proposed legislation would also change how the Education Department handles schools that fail to protect Jewish students. Institutions would receive a clear warning for the first offense, followed by a 10% reduction in federal assistance after the second offense and a 33% reduction after the third offense.

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