Interim Penn President Larry Jameson announced the creation of a new Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion in an email to the community Thursday morning.
Jameson wrote that the office, which will open this fall, was established in response to trends of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other instances of religious biases that have “surge[d]” on Penn's campus and around the country. He added that the office aims to make sure Penn can continue to "fulfill its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."
“We believe the establishment of this Office is essential to ensuring that Penn can continue to offer its students, faculty, and staff the most welcoming, supportive and safe environment possible,” Jameson wrote. “Its creation reflects Penn’s unwavering determination to confront antisemitism and Islamophobia and establishes our University as a national leader in this critical effort.”
Jameson explained that the office's formation is a response to recommendations from the Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism and the reports from the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. These task forces were formed last year in response to concerns about reactions on campus to the Israel-Hamas war.
The office will be the “sole” University point of contact for receiving and responding to reports of alleged violations of policies regarding religious and ethnic discrimination, according to Jameson's email. It will work alongside the Offices of the President and Provost, the Office of the Chaplain and the Spiritual and Religious Life Center, as well as the Division of Human Resources and the Division of Public Safety.
Jameson wrote that a search for permanent leadership of the office will begin "soon," and that Majid Alsayegh and Steve Ginsburg will serve as interim leadership upon its opening.
Ginsburg “is a national expert at addressing incidents and resolving crises involving bias and extremism,” according to the announcement. He worked in an executive capacity at the Anti-Defamation League's Connecticut Region for over a decade and helped found the Hate Crimes Advisory Council in Connecticut.
Alsayegh is the founder of Alta Management, LLC, a project management firm that advises clients on “large complex projects,” according to the email. He also serves on the National Muslim Jewish Advisory Council.
"I am honored and pleased to have an opportunity to assist Penn with establishing this office," Alsayegh wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. "I have dedicated many years to this work and look forward to helping address important needs on campus."
Ginsburg had not responded to a request for comment by time of publication.
The creation of the new office comes following a year in which Penn’s observance of Title VI was often called into question.
In November 2023, the United States Department of Education opened investigations into several schools, including Penn, over alleged instances of antisemitism and Islamophobia following the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The DOE launched these investigations under Title VI a week after the Brandeis Center — a Jewish legal rights advocacy group — filed a federal complaint with the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights. The complaint alleged that Penn violated Title VI by fostering a hostile environment against Jewish students and failing to protect them from harassment after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
In December 2023, 2024 College graduate Eyal Yakoby and College sophomore Jordan Davis sued Penn, alleging instances of antisemitism on campus and an inadequate response from University administration. In the lawsuit, the students cited instances of antisemitic slurs and graffiti, which kept them from fully engaging in the Penn community. Wharton and Engineering senior Noah Rubin joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff in March.
The Brandeis Center, in conjunction with Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, sued the OCR on July 9 for dismissing the November complaint. The OCR cited the existence of a parallel lawsuit — Yakoby's — as reason for the complaint's dismissal.
"We believe the establishment of this Office is essential to ensuring that Penn can continue to offer its students, faculty, and staff the most welcoming, supportive and safe environment possible," Jameson wrote. "Its creation reflects Penn’s unwavering determination to confront antisemitism and Islamophobia and establishes our University as a national leader in this critical effort."
On Wednesday, University Communications staff met with Penn Hillel Rabbi and Executive Director Gabe Greenberg for a talk about antisemitism, according to the Penn Hillel calendar.
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