University of Minnesota professor Richard Painter and former regent Michael Hsu sent a letter to the Department of Education, calling for a federal investigation into claims of antisemitism at the school.

Painter and Tsu say the U of M is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The letter specifically calls out the College of Liberal Arts.

“Antisemitism is a pressing problem in CLA, and a focused and expeditious investigation by the Department could help alleviate an increasingly oppressive academic atmosphere for our students,” the letter states.

The letter goes on to say that departments in the College of Liberal Arts have posted “antisemitic faculty statement condemning Israel, and justifying the terroristic attacks by Hamas” on official department websites. Despite concerns over the impact on Jewish students, the statements haven’t been taken down, the letter states.

The university sent the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS in response to the letter:

“We are aware of the letter shared with the Department of Education. The letter’s broad characterizations of the University are inaccurate and are fundamentally contrary to our mission and values. We look forward to hearing from the Office of Civil Rights, and to responding appropriately.

“The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our top priority. Acts of harassment, intimidation or bias are entirely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We have and will respond promptly and fully to any reports of this behavior on campus. In addition, the University is providing resources to anyone in our community who needs support right now.”