U of Vermont president denies antisemitism allegations

The president of the University of Vermont issued a blistering denial Thursday of allegations the university failed to adequately respond to complaints of anti-Jewish behavior on the Burlington campus.

In a message to the university community, President Suresh Garimella said the complaints being investigated by the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights have “painted our community in a patently false light.”

“While common wisdom dictates remaining patiently silent as we cooperate diligently with an agency’s investigation, I simply cannot do so," Garimella's message said. “These public allegations and our community’s deeply held values call for a strong and immediate response."

Garimella said the university promptly and thoroughly investigated the allegations outlined in the complaint last year after learning of them.

“The uninformed narrative published this week has been harmful to UVM," he said. “Equally importantly, it is harmful to our Jewish students, faculty, staff, and alumni."

On Tuesday, when the complaint and the Department of Education's investigation were made public, university officials said they were aware of the complaint and were cooperating. At the time, they reiterated the university's commitment to inclusiveness.

Alyza Lewin, the president of the the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law , who helped file the complaint, said it was discouraging to see the university double-down on its denial of antisemitism on its campus.

“The rationalizations they provide are the same excuses that they gave me a year ago when I spoke to them," she said Thursday. “They are stubbornly refusing to see and acknowledge that Jewish students on their campus are being targeted and marginalized and excluded on the basis of a key component of their...