NEW YORK (AP) — When Bernard University employees were surveyed this week asking if they were Jews, many, among other personal questions, ignored the message as spam from federal impersonation.
Surveys sent by text to personal mobile phones are linked to Microsoft forms depicting the logo of the US Employment Opportunity Committee. After instructing respondents to check boxes indicating whether they were Jews or Israelis and whether they practiced Judaism, they were asked whether they experienced harassment as a result, such as “unwelcome comments, jokes, discussions.”
“Your first thought is, ‘This must be fake,'” said Nara Milanich, a history professor at Jewish Bernard.
However, on Wednesday, the recipients of the text message were First reported by interceptI learned that they are authentic.
In an email to staff, Serena Longley, general adviser to Bernard, confirmed that the investigation was part of a federal investigation into whether the university discriminated against Jewish employees. The EEOC, a federal regulator, ordered Barnard Turn to “enable staff to provide the option to voluntarily participate in the investigation.”
“Involving in the survey is voluntary,” she added.
Bernard faculty estimated that more than half of the university’s staff had received the message.
“It’s really calm to see the government compiling a list of Jews as part of its campaign to fight anti-Semitism,” Milanich said. “As a historian, I have to say it feels a bit offensive.”
Neither Eeoc nor Barnard College responded to emails seeking comment.
The investigation comes as the Trump administration has Established fund reduction And it argues that other punitive measures against universities across the country are not doing enough to quell anti-Semitism on campus. Bernard, a sister school at Columbia University, was a frequent and sometimes destructive place. Pro-Palestinian protest against Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
Last week, Columbia University warned a small subset of faculty members that they could be contacted by the EEOC as part of a new anti-Semitism investigation on campus. An email reviewed by the Associated Press showed that federal regulators were interested in speaking to members of the Israeli and Jewish Institute and the Task Force on Anti-Semitism.
It was not immediately known whether these members received the same survey. No inquiries to Columbia University were returned.
Debbie Bercher, a sociology professor at Bernard, also said he is Jewish, but the investigation said the Trump administration is “seeking fishing for complaints about discrimination based on Jewish status.”
“They don’t worry about anti-Semitism. They inflamed anti-Semitism,” added Becher. “They are interested in dismantling higher education institutions and closing speeches that are critical to pro-Palestinians or Israel.”
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