On Monday, the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education resolved a Title VI Shared Ancestry complaint filed against the University in January that alleged an inadequate response to antisemitism on campus. The OCR’s investigation raised broader concerns on how the University responded to reports of antisemitic, anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim harassment.
As a part of the resolution, the University has agreed to a list of actions to improve its response to harassment and discrimination, including training for all students and employees, improved record maintenance and policy revisions.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against discrimination based on race, color or national origin for programs that receive federal funding. The University denies that it violated Title VI, and the resolution is not an admission of liability.
According to the investigation, the University received around 75 reports of antisemitic, anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim harassment between October and March.
“The University appears to have taken no or little action in response other than to acknowledge receipt of the reports, list support resources, and request to meet with the complainant, consistent with its policies then in effect,” reads an OCR press release.
“Once a university has notice of alleged discrimination, it has a Title IV obligation to assess whether a hostile learning environment exists independent of whether a complainant does or does not respond to or meet with the university,” the press release continues.
Earlier this year, the University revised some policies and procedures, holding training, workshops and lectures regarding antisemitism, which the OCR acknowledged. It also took steps to streamline reporting of discrimination and harassment. The University first announced they were considering “enhancing” its policies in December, later supporting programming centered on academic freedom, antisemitism and anti-Muslim discrimination.
Following the investigation and voluntary resolution, the University has agreed to include information on how it may continue to investigate an alleged violation of the Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy even if the individual who made the complaint does not move forward with it. If the University does not proceed, it must document its rationale. Updates to the Policy will include additional information on reporting procedures, timelines and outcome notification.
The University will also update its Protest and Demonstration Policy so that it’s “applied equitably and in a manner that complies with Title VI,” in addition to a list of University officials who can enforce the policy.
Brown will also conduct annual nondiscrimination training for all students in addition to continued training for staff that investigate discrimination complaints. The University has also committed to improve its record keeping, provide a copy of complaints for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years to OCR and analyze Title VI compliance assessments to improve campus climate.
The agreement was signed by Russell Carey, executive vice president for planning and policy, and interim vice president for campus life.
“The University is satisfied that the voluntary resolution with OCR enforces and reaffirms Brown’s commitment to strengthening our policies, systems and operations to ensure a campus environment where students, faculty and staff are safe and supported,” Carey said in a University press release.
The complaint was originally filed by Zachary Marschall, editor of conservative news site Campus Reform. Marschall has no affiliation with the University.
Recently, the Muslim Legal Fund of America, a civil rights nonprofit, filed a second Title VI complaint with the OCR. According to the OCR’s website, it has not yet opened an investigation into the complaint.
‘Illustrative’ examples of harassment
In a public letter to Brown, the OCR offered “illustrative examples'' of reports of antisemitism, anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim harassment.
According to the OCR, a student pointed at a Jewish classmate who was wearing a Star of David jewelry and yelled “Zionist pig Jew.” Additionally, a Palestinian-American student was berated by their roommate for their identity for weeks. Students also blocked a Jewish classmate from attending a rally, the reports alleged.
Sidechat was also a common site of harassment, according to the letter. Nine reports were filed about harassment on the platform, including an incident where a person “wished death upon a pro-Israel student.” In December, the University released social media guidelines about online harassment and discussed harassment on Sidechat in University communications in March. The Brown University Community Council also discussed harassment on Sidechat during its March meeting.
The letter also discussed “a number of reports'' about a student group for writing signs in chalk that read “from the river to the sea, not in our names, Free Palestine.” Other reports included “screening a movie and inviting a speaker that were allegedly antisemitic; and stating in a poster that it held Israel and its allies ‘unequivocally responsible for all suffering and loss of life, both Israeli and Palestinian.’”
The Student Activities Office met with the student group to discuss these concerns and chalking guidelines.
In 2023, a student reported that a speaker threatened a student potentially due to “their perceived association with Palestinian students.” Various University offices met with the student who reported the incident. Nearly 100 emails were sent raising concerns with the speaker, stating that the event made Palestinian students feel uncomfortable and unsafe.
Other allegations of harassment were levied against faculty and staff, including that a professor created an “openly hostile, antisemitic classroom environment.” The allegation is under investigation by the Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting.
Anisha Kumar is a section editor covering University Hall. She is a junior from Menlo Park, California concentrating in English and Political Science who loves speed-crosswording and rewatching sitcoms.
Ryan Doherty is a section editor covering faculty, higher education and science and research. He is a junior concentrating in Chemistry and Economics who likes to partially complete crosswords in his free time.
