INDIANAPOLIS -- In a letter recently sent to Indiana higher education institutions, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is asking officials to continue combating "all forms of antisemitism on their campuses."
In the letter, Rokita said that institutions are required to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on "race, color and national origin" for entities that receive federal funding assistance, something that Rokita stressed could be lost if they do not enforce it.
This letter comes after a number of protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza occurred at higher education institutions throughout the United States, including at Indiana University in Bloomington. According to previous reports, more than 50 people were arrested in the IU demonstrations and many called for the dismissal of IU President Pamela Whitten.
Rokita said in the letter that the office has received "numerous reports" that individuals and student groups have "provoked anti-Semitic activity against Jewish and Israeli students." Rokita cited statistics from the Anti-Defamation League that state 73% of Jewish college students and 44% of non-Jewish students have reportedly experienced or witnessed antisemitism since the beginning of the 2023 school year.
"My team and I are deeply committed to ending antisemitism in all forms,” Rokita said in the letter. “Some Indiana colleges and universities boast large populations of Jewish students. If these students face antisemitism on campus without corrective measures, they may bring an action under Title VI against your university by alleging a hostile environment or retaliation.
"Protecting our Jewish students requires accountability on your part," the letter continues. "I strongly encourage you to enforce university codes of conduct and the law when necessary to put an end to antisemitism and the promotion of terrorism on your campuses. That way we can ensure that all students, including our Jewish brothers and sisters, are safe and have an equal access to education."
Destiny Wells, a Democrat who is running to be the nominee that faces Rokita in November's general election for the Indiana Attorney General position, said in a statement that Rokita's "warning about antisemitism to college officials is suspect at best."
"Unlike Rokita’s threatening of protected First Amendment speech, I encourage the political awakening of our youth in spaces like academic institutions, much like I joined the military from my Indiana University campus as we entered the war in Iraq after 9/11," Wells said. "While I may not always agree with one’s position, college years are formative in figuring out a complex world—this is the American way.”
Wells encouraged Rokita to use the power of the Indiana Attorney General's office to advocate for comprehensive hate crimes-related legislation, stressing that this would ensure that Hoosiers would be "protected from hate crimes."