Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong received a letter on April 21 from the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, accusing the university of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by failing to adequately protect Cal Poly’s Jewish community.
The letter requests documentation in relation to pro-Palestinian activism and outlines incidents of alleged antisemitism that occurred “under [Armstrong’s] watch.”
The main on-campus incident cited in the Committee’s letter is an April 2024 protest at the first floor lobby of Baker Science (Bldg 180), where Israeli Defense Forces veteran Yuval Klein was speaking at an event hosted by San Luis Obispo Hillel and Mustangs United for Israel.
According to the letter, a Cal Poly faculty member allegedly held a Palestinian flag over a woman’s face while shouting “F— Israel.” Protesters allegedly called the attendees “Zionists” and compared that designation to the Ku Klux Klan.
Other instances of alleged antisemitism in the letter came from Cal Poly’s Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report card, citing “verbal harassment of Jewish students” and graffiti spray-painted on school buildings declaring ‘From Gaza to Cal Poly, let the intifada spread.’”
Cal Poly received failing grades in the ADL’s second annual Campus Antisemitism Report Card, Mustang News previously reported. The current “D” grade is an improvement from the “F” the ADL originally gave Cal Poly from its initial rating in March.
On April 4, Cal Poly’s ADL grade changed in tandem with 18 universities after the administration implemented new policies, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a source provided by University Spokesperson Matt Lazier.
Cal Poly’s ADL report card lists the following actions as steps to improve the campus climate:
- Establishment of a Presidential Antisemitism Task Force
- Plan to create a Civil Discourse Panel for promoting awareness and education
- Addition of antisemitism and anti-Zionism to the university’s Statement of Diversity and Inclusion
The Committee’s requests
In preparation for the hearing, the Committee requested documentation from Cal Poly, including updates to campus conduct and disciplinary policies since Oct. 7, 2023, communications between the university and pro-Palestinian student clubs and university police footage from the April 2024 protest. The Committee asked for unaltered copies of this information by April 30.
Cal Poly confirmed it received the letter and is “working in good faith” to comply with the request, Lazier wrote in an email to Mustang News. He added that the administration has taken “meaningful action” to improve the safety of the entire campus community.
The letter was also sent to Jack B. Clarke Jr., chairman of the Cal State Board of Trustees, according to the Committee’s letter. The Committee also requested the Cal State Trustees’ meeting minutes relating to antisemitism at Cal Poly, ranging from Aug. 1, 2023 to April 21, 2025.
Cal Poly on Capitol Hill
The letter comes ahead of Armstrong’s testimony at a May 7 Congressional hearing. The hearing title begins with “Beyond the Ivy League,” highlighting the Committee’s focus on campuses of various sizes and locations.
Armstrong will testify with presidents from DePaul University and Haverford College. These upcoming witnesses join seven university leaders who previously testified in antisemitism hearings from the same committee, Inside Higher Ed reported.
The hearing will be live-streamed on the Committee’s YouTube channel, according to the Committee’s initial press release about the hearing.