SACRAMENTO — The University of California, Davis and California State University, Sacramento are among 60 universities nationwide that received warnings to ensure the protection of Jewish students on campus, the U.S. Department of Education announced Monday. 

The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent a letter to each institution warning them that they could receive "potential enforcement actions" if they don't fulfill those obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin and applies to institutions receiving federal funding. 

Each school that received the letter is under investigation for antisemitism and harassment, the Education Department said. 

Just last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an investigation into the University of California system over allegations of antisemitism in the wake of protests relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict that broke out on several campuses over the war between Israel and Hamas. 

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators did set up encampments in separate instances on the UC Davis and Sac State campuses with calls for the schools to divest from Israel in the wake of the war in Gaza. 

Sacramento State sent CBS Sacramento acknowledging it did receive the letter from the OCR. The statement said: 

"Our university takes its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 very seriously and, consistent with these obligations, is committed to serving students of all backgrounds regardless of race, color, or national origin (including shared ancestry) and to providing an environment where students can learn, live and succeed free from race, color, or national origin discrimination or harassment. Among many other services, resources, and initiatives, we have a Jewish Life Center in partnership with Hillel, a Presidential Advisory Council on Antisemitism, and strong partnerships with our local Jewish community." 

The UC system's Office of the President also responded by saying:

"We are aware that a few campuses of the University of California system received letters from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reminding them of their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students. We want to be clear: the University of California is unwavering in its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting the civil rights of all our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. We continue to take specific steps to foster an environment free of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and harassment for everyone in the university community."   

The recent probe into the UC system announced by the DOJ was under Title VII, which prohibits similar discrimination of employed individuals, including professors. 

Also last week, $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia University were canceled by the Trump administration, which claimed the university failed to act against the "persistent harassment of Jewish students."