The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that Lafayette College has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when addressing allegations of discrimination or harassment based on shared ancestry, including Jewish ancestry.
OCR investigated the College's response to an October 25, 2023 protest and subsequent reports of antisemitic and anti-Arab discrimination during fall 2023 and more recent events. While the College made efforts to prevent a hostile environment, it misapplied legal standards, particularly regarding social media harassment. The College's responses were inconsistent, depending on whether incidents occurred on or off campus. For instance, the College engaged with a student protester carrying a sign but did not respond similarly to reports of similar phrases used on social media.
The investigation found that the College generally did not address social media harassment unless it considered it a direct threat, overlooking its Title VI obligation to redress hostile environments regardless of where they occur.
To address OCR's concerns, Lafayette College agreed to:
- Review its responses to previous reports of discrimination or harassment based on shared ancestry for the 2023-2024 academic year.
- Provide OCR with documentation of all complaints alleging discrimination for the next two school years.
- Revise policies and procedures to include descriptions of various forms of discrimination in college environments.
- Train employees and staff responsible for investigating complaints about shared ancestry-based discrimination.
- Train all staff and students about conduct prohibited by Title VI and the College’s responsibilities under these regulations.
"Lafayette College has committed to take the steps necessary to ensure its students are not subjected to antisemitic or anti-Arab hostile environments and have equal access to education," said Assistant Secretary for the Office for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. "The College’s commitments today build on many laudable practices already in place."
The resolution letter and agreement are available on the Office for Civil Rights website.
