San Jose State University, responding to the announcement of a new investigation by the Trump Administration, today affirmed its commitment to fighting antisemitism.
While stating that the university would cooperate with the investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights of alleged antisemitic harassment, a San Jose State spokesperson told San Jose Inside that a federal press release on Thursday was “misleading.”
Michelle Smith McDonald, senior director of strategic communications for
McDonald said, “We want to immediately address a misleading implication in the Department’s press release, which attributes a quote to a former SJSU administrator. This statement was never made by any representative of the university.”
In its press release, the Department of Education said it had “One email from SJSU’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Former Interim Chief Diversity Officer purportedly [that] made the distinction between ‘good Jews’ and ‘bad Jews’ based on their support of the Israeli government.”
Neither the Department of Education nor McDonald identified the administrator alleged to have written the email. Patrick Day left the student affairs vice president position in 2024 after eight years, to take a similar position with California State University/ Los Angeles, which he currently holds. He was succeeded at San Jose State by Mari Fuentes-Martin, the current vice president for student affairs.
“The university treats antisemitic incidents with the utmost seriousness, and has taken numerous actions that prioritize the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community,” McDonald said in a statement. “The university has consistently and repeatedly denounced antisemitism.”
“We will respond through OCR’s investigative process,” she said. “Providing an environment free of antisemitism and unlawful discrimination in any form remains a top priority. We are committed to fostering an environment where all students and employees can live, learn, work and thrive free from harassment and discrimination.”
The Department of Education civil rights investigation marks the opening of a second front in its campaign against San Jose State. The department’s Office of Civil Rights said it had “received complaints that Jewish students were subjected to hostile environments on the campuses of both universities.”
“SJSU students have allegedly been threatened, shunned, and made to feel unwelcome in classrooms because of their Jewish ancestry,” the office said in a statement on Aug. 6. “Reports of anti-Israel protests disrupting classes and displacing students and staff, as well as physical attacks on Jewish students, have increased since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel.”
The latest action by the Trump Administration against San Jose State follows threats in January of a withdrawal of federal funding because of the university’s response to a controversy over a transgender athlete on the women’s volleyball team.
In March, the California State University system filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block the federal action, calling the federal penalty "lawless overreach," based on existing Ninth Circuit judicial precedents and Department of Education interpretations under President Joe Biden.
The lawsuit remains pending in federal court. The university system and the Trump Administration agreed to a court-approved stipulation that blocks the federal government from cutting off roughly $130 million in annual student federal funding while the litigation proceeds.
The department this week identified similar complaints that have been filed against San Francisco State.
“Both SJSU and SFSU have reportedly failed to acknowledge or meaningfully respond to cases of antisemitic harassment on campus, seeming, in some instances, even to condone such abhorrent acts,” the department said in a press release.
“The same California leaders who wax eloquent about their commitment to ‘equity’ and ‘social justice’ appear to turn their backs on violent, harmful acts of antisemitic intimidation and harassment,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey in a statement. “We will investigate these allegations, ensure the safety of Jewish students, and protect the right of every student in America to an education free from discrimination.”
On Jan. 29, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, stating that it is “the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools.”
The California State University system filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on March 6, 2026, to block federal threats to strip San José State University of funding. The dispute centers on a Department of Education demanding that San Jose State sign a Title IX resolution agreement over its past inclusion of a transgender volleyball player. The lawsuit argues that subsequent 2025 executive orders by President Trump cannot be applied retroactively to penalize the institution for adhering to past laws.
SJSU’s own website, link dated less than three weeks ago (7/21/26), admits a spate of antisemitic incidents on campus since fall 2025.
A year ago, UCLA was reportedly forced to pay $6 million to settle a lawsuit with the Feds alleging university administrators coddled harassment of Jews on that campus.