September 2 6 , 2025 MAJORITY MEMBERS: TIM WALBERG, MICHIGAN, Chairman JOE WILSON, SOUTH CAROLINA VIRGINIA FOXX, NORTH CAROLINA GLENN THOMPSON, PENNSYLVANIA GLENN GROTHMAN, WISCONSIN ELISE M. STEFANIK, NEW YORK RICK W. ALLEN, GEORGIA JAMES COMER, KENTUCKY BURGESS OWENS, UTAH LISA C. MCCLAIN, MICHIGAN MARY E. MILLER, ILLINOIS JULIA LETLOW, LOUISIANA KEVIN KILEY, CALIFORNIA MICHAEL RULLI, OHIO JAMES C. MOYLAN, GUAM ROBERT F. ONDER, JR., MISSOURI RYAN MACKENZIE, PENNSYLVANIA MICHAEL BAUMGARTNER, WASHINGTON MARK HARRIS, NORTH CAROLINA MARK B. MESSMER, INDIANA RANDY FINE, FLORIDA COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2176 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20515 - 6100 MINORITY MEMBERS: ROBERT C. “BOBBY” SCOTT, VIRGINIA, Ranking Member JOE COURTNEY, CONNECTICUT FREDERICA S. WILSON, FLORIDA SUZANNE BONAMICI, OREGON MARK TAKANO, CALIFORNIA ALMA S. ADAMS, NORTH CAROLINA MARK DESAULNIER, CALIFORNIA DONALD NORCROSS, NEW JERSEY LUCY MCBATH, GEORGIA JAHANA HAYES, CONNECTICUT ILHAN OMAR, MINNESOTA HALEY STEVENS, MICHIGAN GREG CASAR, TEXAS SUMMER L. LEE, PENNSYLVANIA JOHN MANNION, NEW YORK YASSAMIN ANSARI, ARIZONA Dr. Richard K. Lyons Chancellor University of California, Berkeley 200 California Hall # 1500 Berkeley, CA 94720 Dear Dr. Lyons: The Committee on Education and Workforce (Committee) is continuing 1 to investigate antisemitism at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) , including whether there was or is a hostile environment against Jewish students on UC Berkeley’s campus and whether the university is fulfilling its obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) to end any harassment, eliminate any hostile environment and its effects, and prevent any harassment from recurring. This investigation will aid the Committee in considering whether potential legislative changes, including legislation to specifically address antisemitic discrimination, are needed. To assist in its investigation, and to follow up on concerns raised during the Committee’s July 15, 2025 , hearing, the Committee is requesting the following documents : First , the Committee requests further information related to the disciplinary chart of antisemitic incidents that UC Berkeley previously provided — for example , the Committee is interested in incidents that were not resolved or where investigation s were pending when the chart was initially provided. Second, in a May 14, 2024, letter to the “Free Palestine Encampment , ” then - Chancellor Carol Christ promised to involve the UC Berkeley Divest Coalition in an effort to “review all complaints about existing global exchange and internship programs and review new and future programs.” 2 The Committee requests documents pertaining to this promise , which will assist in the assessment of whether there was or is a hostile environment against Jewish students on UC Berkeley’s campus and whether the university is fulfilling its obligations under Title VI. 1 https://edworkforce.house.gov/uploadedfiles/3.19.24_foxx_letter_to_uc_berkeley.pdf ; https://edworkforce.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=412535 2 https://chancellor.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/encampment_letter_051424.pdf Third, in August 2022, nine student groups at UC Berkeley School of Law — led by UC Berkeley’s Law Students for Justice in Palestine — passed a bylaw committing to exclude speakers who support “[z]ionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine ” 3 At least 22 additional student organizations at UC Berkeley School of Law have adopted these or similar provisions in either their bylaws or constitutions 4 Notably, this exclusion applies to speakers who would be addressing topics that have nothing to do with the Middle East. The chairman of the Brandeis Center has described these organizations as “Jewish - free zones , ” considering that more than 80 percent of Jews support Israel as the Jewish homeland. 5 The Committee requests documents to understand whether these bylaws comport with Title VI. Fourth, in fall of 2024, UC Berkeley announced a new ly endowed program in Palestinian and Arab studies. 6 A $3.25 million gift by anonymous donors led to the establishment of the program. UC Berkeley’s encampment — which featured antisemitic violence — had included the creation of the program in its list of demands in spring 2024. 7 The Committee requests documents pertaining to the creation of this program to understand the extent to which the program resulted from UC Berkeley’s violent encampmen t and whether the program implicates foreign funding in higher education. The Committee also requests documents pertaining to the program’s events to assess whether it is contributing to a hostile environment on UC Berkeley’s campus. Fifth , in relation to the program in Palestinian and Arab s tudies , and to follow up on questioning by m ultiple Committee Members at the Committee’s July 1 5 hearing , the Committee requests documents related to the program’s leadership , which has endorsed Hamas and the terror group’s violence against J ews 8 Hamas is a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization that calls not only for the destruction of Israel but for the murder of the Jewish people. 9 Therefore, when faculty show support for Hamas’ actions, Jewish students perceive these statements as threatening not only to the state of Israel but to the Jewish people more broadly. In addition, the Committee is aware that the university’s chosen leader of the program has defended students even as they engaged in antisemitic violence For example, a fter the student group Bears for Palestine incited a violent protest attempting to shut down an event in Zellerbach Hall organized by Jewish student groups that resulted in a Jewish student being choked, others similarly injured, and campus property destroyed , the program leader defended the group and its 3 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article - 715883; https://www.instagram.com/p/Chh_43tpLnm/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D&img_index=3 4 https://brandeiscenter.com/wp - content/uploads/2024/05/Brandeis - v - Regents - Amended - Complaint - FILED.pdf 5 https://brandeiscenter.com/berkeleys - jewish - free - zones - are - worse - than - you - think - by - kenneth - l - marcus - jewish - journal/ 6 https://ls.berkeley.edu/news/new - palestinian - and - arab - studies - program - established - uc - berkeley 7 https://www.instagram.com/p/C6KZPjOv6lh/?img_index=1; https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/fight - at - uc - berkeley - pro - palestinian - encampment - leaves - several - people - injured/ 8 On October 7, 2023, the chair of the program described Hamas’ attack against Israel as “resistance.” On February 5, 2024, the chair of the program tweeted, “I could have been one of those who broke through the siege on October 7” along with an article of t he same title that praises Hamas terrorists’ “determination and courage,” states that they “heroically defended [their] homeland,” and denies well - documented reports of Hamas’ sexual violence towards Israeli women as “entirely false.” At the time, the Chancellor’s office acknowledged that the February 5 statement was “inconsistent with our Principles of Community,” but it is unclear whether Berkeley took any further action. 9 https://irp.fas.org/world/para/docs/880818a.htm ability to engage in “activism” by “protesting the presence on campus of an Israeli soldier propagandist.” 10 Furthermore, after October 7th, the program leader allegedly canceled a mandatory course and urged students to attend a pro - Palestinian “teach - in” co - organized with Bears for Palestine 11 Additionally, o n May 1, 2024, the program leader urged the Chancellor in an email to keep UC Berkeley’s encampment “free of police and other escalatory measures” on the same day that violence broke out there. 12 Prior to this email, UC Berkeley had received numerous complaints about antisemiti sm at the encampment, such as “banners calling for the annihilation of Israel” and “language and symbols also used by Hamas supporters.” 13 The Committee therefore requests documents pertaining to the consideration, selection, and hiring of the leadership of the program to understand whether the university took the aforementioned statements and actions into account , considering its Title VI obligations Sixth, the Committee seeks information about UC Berkeley’s decision to disinvite Yael Nativ, a visiting Israeli professor , after the October 7 , 2023 , attack against Israel 14 Seventh, the Committee requests information about courses at UC Berkeley that refer or relate to Israel , Zionism, or Palestine, considering that numerous courses referring to these subjects allegedly contain antisemitic content. This includes a spring 2025 course that praised Hamas as “ revolutionary resistance forces combating settler - colonialism ” 15 and the course “Palestine: A Settler Colonial Analysis,” which was suspended in 2017 after Jewish groups voiced concern that it was antisemitic , but was reportedly offered again in 2024 16 These request s will help the Committee understand the academic environment at UC Berkeley as it pertains to antisemitism Eighth, the Committee seeks information about a February 2025 event held by UC Berkeley’s Gender and Women’s Studies Department titled, “Feminist and Queer Solidarities with Palestine.” The event vowed to examine how “Zionism has weaponized feminism, so as to serve Israel’s genocidal intent, by upholding debunked accusations of systematic Hamas mass assault.” 17 Chancellor Lyons said in an op - ed prior to the event that, “ [i] f the event proves to be a venue where odious views contrary to our institutional values are expressed, I will, as I have in the past, respond appropriately.” 18 At the event, speakers are alleged to have said Israel was “[r]ounding up and torturing medical staff,” “burning alive patients in hospitals,” and engaged in “gang rape of prisoners with hot iron rods, electrified sticks, and sometimes with trained dogs. ” 19 10 UC - EW - 0009039 ; https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024 - 02 - 27/pro - palestinian - protesters - shut - down - event - organized - by - jewish - students - at - uc - berkeley ; https://jewishjournal.com/news/368623/jewish - student - says - she - was - choked - at - uc - berkeley - pro - palestinian - protest/. 11 https://www.meforum.org/campus - watch/berkeley - is - a - safe - space - for - hate - incl - ussama 12 UC - EW - 0003274. 13 Case identifier 22208 , 22174. 14 https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/367974/disinvited - excluded - discriminated - against - jews - at - uc - berkeley/ 15 https://www.haaretz.com/us - news/2024 - 11 - 19/ty - article/.premium/berkeley - course - hailing - hamas - as - revolutionary - resistance - force - sparks - backlash/00000193 - 422a - d824 - afff - 4eae83de0000 16 https://amchainitiative.org/letter - to - uc - berkeley - chancellor - dirks 17 https://jweekly.com/2025/01/24/uc - berkeley - removes - event - description - denying - oct - 7 - rapes/ 18 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/no - need - to - investigate - my - campus - mr - trump - chancellor - solomon - d1939848?ref=quillette.com 19 Testimony on file with Committee. Speakers also allegedly d enied that Israeli women were gang raped on October 7, 2023, and argued that Israel was “weaponizing feminism” with allegations of the rapes. 20 The Committee requests documents about this event and UC Berkeley’s response to it. Ninth, after the October 7th terrorist attack against Israel , UC Berkeley offered grants to groups on campus to address “ antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias, bigotry, and discrimination at the university. ” 21 The Committee seeks information about projects that received this funding to better understand the university’s efforts to comply with Title VI. As you know, postsecondary institutions that receive federal funds must maintain a safe learning environment and fulfill all obligations under Title VI. Under Title VI, even speech that is protected by the First Amendment may contribute to a hostile enviro nment. 22 Title VI requires colleges to promptly address and eliminate a hostile environment, which could include investigating the incident, condemning the statements made, implementing policy changes such as time, place, and manner restrictions, providing trainin g to combat antisemitism, and other measures. The below - requested records are critical to the Committee’s oversight. Please produce the se items no later than October 10, 2025: 23 1. P rovide an updated anonymized version of the disciplinary chart previously produced ( UC - EW - 0019805 ) that both includes incidents through the present and, for those cases listed as having been referred to the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OHPD) , update s the chart with an additional column stating the final disciplinary outcome a. C onfirm that UC Berkeley did not discipline any students or student groups in response to the Zellerbach incident i. P rovide all documents and communications referring or relating to the investigation o f this incident and discip line for any individuals or entities involved b. C onfirm the number of UC Berkeley students or faculty that have been disciplined for antisemitic incidents since October 7, 2023 c. P rovide all documents and communications referring or related to the following cases , including materials reviewed by OPHD to make determinations , and specify which case identifiers the documents pertain : 20786, 20792 , 20810, 21939 , 22254, 2023 - UCB - 00970 , 2023 - UCB - 01005 , 2023 - UCB - 01034 , 2023 - UCB - 01069 , 2023 - UCB - 01113 , 2023 - UCB - 01204 , 2023 - UCB - 01245 , 2023 - UCB - 01246 , 2024 - UCB - 00445 , 2024 - UCB - 01133 , 2024 - UCB - 01696 , 2024 - UCB - 01595 , 2024 - UCB - 01528 , 2024 - UCB - 01467 20 Id 21 https://www.berkeley.edu/addressing - bias - and - bigotry/ 22 See , e.g ., Andrea Jane Martin, Balancing Freedom of Expression and Equality on College Campuses in the Wake of Intensified Antisemitism, 90 B ROOK L. R EV 67 (2024), https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/blr/vol90/iss1/2/. 23 Please note that we are requesting only those documents that have not been previously provided to the Committee. 2. All documents and communications from May 14, 2024, to present, referring or relating to then - Chancellor Christ ’s May 14 promise to review exchange and internship programs , including its implementation and the involvement of the UC Berkeley Divest Coalition 3. All constitutions and bylaws for every student organization at UC Berkeley School of Law for the years 2022 through 2025 that reference Zionism, Zionists, BDS, Israel , or Palestine 4. All documents and communications referring or relating to the creation of the Palestinian and Arab S tudies P rogram , including whether the program was created in response to encampment demands ; how UC Berkeley determined the amount of funding it would provide ; UC Berkeley’s fundraising efforts ; and the consideration, selection, and hiring of its leadership 5. All documents and communications referring or relating to programming by the Palestinian and Arab Studies Program, including the November 2024 inaugural conference. 24 6. All documents and communications referring or relating to the disinvitation of Israeli professor Yael Nativ from teaching at UC Berkeley that were sent, received, or are in the possession of one or more of the following entities : Office of the Chancellor ; the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies ; the Center for Student Conduct ; and the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination 7. All syllabi and other course materials referring or relating to Israel , Zionism, or Palestine since August 2023, including the 2025 course “English Composition in Connection with the Reading of World Literature – Leninism and Anarchism ” and the 2024 course “Palestine: A Settler Colonial Analysis ” 8. All documents and communications referring or relating to the “Feminist and Queer Solidarities with Palestine ” event at UC Berkeley, including any contemplated or enacted responses to the event by UC Berkeley. 9. All documents and communications pertaining to projects that UC Berkeley selected for mini - grants through its “addressing bias and bigotry” effort after October 7 , 2023, including proposals, progress reports, outcome reports , and the selection process. Congress’s oversight powers are derived from the U.S. Constitution and have been repeatedly affirmed by the United States Supreme Court. Under House Rule X, the Committee’s legislative and oversight jurisdiction is broad, extending to “education . . . gene rally” and “laws, programs, and Government activities relating to domestic educational programs and institutions and programs of student assistance within the jurisdiction of other committees.” 25 This includes enforcement of Title VI and other antidiscrimination laws by the Department of Education. 24 https://ls.berkeley.edu/news/new - palestinian - and - arab - studies - program - established - uc - berkeley 25 R ULES OF THE H OUSE OF R EPRESENTATIVES , 119th Cong. at 7, 10 (Jan. 16, 2025), https://rules.house.gov/sites/evo - subsites/rules.house.gov/files/documents/houserules119thupdated.pdf. Should you have any questions please contact Jenna Berger at jenna.berger@mail.house.gov. Sincerely, Tim Walberg Chairman House Committee on Education and Workforce