The University of Minnesota, which has been scrutinizing President Trump's Justice Department's handling of anti-Semitism on campus, largely banned it from issuing an official statement on “issues of public interest and issues of public interest” on Friday.
The policy was not a direct response to the Trump administration's February announcement that in a few months of work, Minnesota and nine other universities could not protect Jewish students and faculty from discrimination.
But nonetheless, Friday's vote by the Measurement Committee fits with a university's scramble and undermines accusations of disrespecting anti-Semitic actions or political activities they supported or disrespected.
The school has been heavily criticized by Republicans for their reaction to the protests against the war in Gaza. Campus has seen fierce debate about defining thresholds when anti-Semitism and political expression are intolerant or discriminatory. University leaders often want a balance between allowing free speech and avoiding potential anger in Washington.
Under Minnesota's new policy, public issues are prohibited unless statements from universities (statements from universities, departments, and other departments) determine that the president “has a real or potential impact on the mission and operations of the university.”
University senators, including students, faculty and other workers, opposed the plan, and in early January the university's task force urged a narrower approach. Critics questioned whether the policy violated the First Amendment and argued that it would grant the Minnesota president excessive power.
However, a raucous meeting in Minneapolis on Friday (the sessions have been suspended twice due to protesters) voted 9-3 to approve the policy.
“Universities should not be, and not to, do, work on these important and controversial issues of public interest,” said board chair Johnny S. Mayron. “Individuals can do that. The university, its leaders, and units shouldn't.”
Another regent, Robin J. Gurry, said he received hundreds of messages before Friday's vote. Feedback is “mainly” opposed to the proposal.
“The First Amendment protects the rights of the association as well as freedom of speech,” Gully said before voting against the proposal. “There is probably no place in the world that is more important than a university, which is the duty of students, faculty and staff.”
The concept of “institutional neutrality” is not endemic to Minnesota, which covers five campuses, including Minnesota's flagship. At least 140 universities have adopted such policies, according to a report released Tuesday by a nonprofit that has been critical of progressivism on university campuses since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Before the attack, the report found that only eight schools had neutral policies.
The past few weeks have put new pressure on Minnesota, among the schools where the university has said it will visit the Department of Justice's anti-Semitic investigators to visit “whether repair measures are guaranteed.”
The department does not detail why Minnesota created the list. Richard W. Painter, a Minnesota law professor who was a top White House ethics lawyer for George W. Bush's presidency, spoke to the Department of Education in 2023 about the potential anti-Semitism at university, but speculated that the Department of Justice's interests were politically motivated.
Tim Waltz, the Democratic candidate for vice president in last year's election, is Minnesota governor and Democrat Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who was a steady critic of Trump and Israel, includes Minnesota's main campus.
In a statement, Minnesota said, “We are confident in our approach to combating hatred and bias on campus and will always be fully cooperating with reviews related to these topics.”
In addition to Minnesota, the Department of Justice is considering Columbia University. George Washington University; Harvard University; Johns Hopkins University. New York University; Northwestern University; University of California, Los Angeles. University of California, Berkeley. University of Southern California.
But some uncertainty about Minnesota, which was fighting against the protest camp last spring, predated Trump's return to power.
For example, in December 2023, Painter and former regent Michael D. HSU complained to the Ministry of Education that the University of Liberal Arts had allowed the department to use the official website for a statement critical of Israel.
HSU and Painter approved the boycott, sale and sanctions movement and called for “dismantling Israel's apartheid system” on a website featuring statements from gender, women and sexuality research faculty members. (Please note that after the release of the statement, a disclaimer was added and “does not reflect the University of Minnesota's position.”
It was not clear how much Friday's vote would ease Washington's skepticism about Minnesota. Other universities that have recently embraced the neutrality of the system have been under investigation by the Trump administration, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Northwest and Southern California.
Stephanie Saul Reports of contributions.
