April 30 (UPI) — Harvard’s president apologized Tuesday after two task forces revealed a majority of Jewish and Muslim students have been subjected to discrimination and hate on campus, saying “Harvard cannot — and will not — abide bigotry.”

“The 2023-24 academic year was disappointing and painful. I am sorry for the moments when we failed to meet the high expectations we rightfully set for our community,” Alan Garber, Harvard’s president, wrote in a message to the Ivy League community.

“The grave, extensive impact of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel and its aftermath had serious repercussions on our campus,” Garber added. “Long-simmering tensions came to the surface and, as protests and sometimes violent clashes erupted on campuses across the country, members of our community reported incidents that led them to feel targeted and shunned on the basis of their identities.”

The two Harvard Task Force reports span 500-pages and detail findings and surveys from students, along with recommendations. Garber established both task forces last year, with one looking into anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli bias, and a second addressing anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias. The task forces were created after encampments and protests erupted at Harvard, and former president Claudine Gay resigned following her testimony at a congressional hearing concerning campus anti-Semitism.

According to a Harvard joint survey, nearly 60% of Jewish students said they had experienced some form of discrimination or bias on campus because of their views. Nearly half said they did not feel supported by Harvard.

In the same survey, nearly half of Muslim respondents said they felt unsafe, with 92% saying they believed they would face academic or professional repercussions for expressing their views.

“Especially disturbing is the reported willingness of some students to treat each other with disdain rather than sympathy, eager to criticize and ostracize, particularly when afforded the anonymity and distance that social media provides,” Garber said.

“Across our community, some questioned how issues concerning Israel and Palestine were addressed on our campus, noting that they found some seminars and lectures, panel discussions and events open to the public to be one-sided, deepening feelings of exclusion and rejection, and calling into question our institutional commitment to excellence and rigor in our academic pursuits.”

The findings and apology by Harvard’s president come just weeks after the Trump administration threatened to pull $9 billion in federal aid to Harvard over alleged anti-Semitism, and froze $2.2 billion in grants after the school rejected its demands to make policy changes and “uphold federal civil rights laws.”

“The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable,” the administration said in a statement on April 14. “The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”

Garber said Harvard would “not accept their proposed agreement,” adding that “the university will not surrender its independence or its constitutional rights.” One week later, Harvard announced it was suing the Trump administration as it called the funding freeze “unlawful.”

On Tuesday, Garber vowed to “redouble” Harvard’s efforts to ensure “mutual respect is the norm.”

Among those recommendations: Harvard must clarify its values to eliminate all forms of hatred and to act against discrimination, harassment and bullying; improved and consistent disciplinary processes; and educational training on anti-Semitism and Islamophobia for new student orientations.

“May our successors, whether they are Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, or of any combination of backgrounds and perspectives, find Harvard to be a place where they can be themselves,” Garber said, “express their views freely, and encounter sympathy and understanding — a place where all are cheered on as they pursue their dreams.”